AdventHealth Waterman prides itself on being a progressive leader in the use of insulin. In 2013, the community hospital switched to basal/bolus insulin therapy, eliminated the use of sliding scale alone, and implemented IV insulin dosing software system EndoTool.
EndoTool did not meet the greater glycemic management needs. The system wasn’t supporting the hospital in providing optimal IV treatment and meeting its goals for reducing hypoglycemic events. EndoTool led to workflow challenges, untimely and unnecessary administration of insulin therapy, and issues with prolonged hyperglycemia. In 2017, the facility had more than 250 hypoglycemic events.
Debra Dudley, BS, CDCES, RN, Clinical Diabetes Educator for AdventHealth Waterman, saw an opportunity to explore changes that would once again position the facility as an innovator in insulin management. After determining the root causes that needed to be addressed for optimal glycemic management, she switched the hospital from EndoTool to Glytec’s eGlycemic Management System® (eGMS®).
Within one year, AdventHealth Waterman was able to use the more advanced technology to improve workflows and patient care, lower costs, and significantly reduce hypoglycemic events.
Florida-based community hospital AdventHealth Waterman is known as a pioneer in the use of insulin and often pilots studies for the entire AdventHealth system. About one-third of AdventHealth Waterman patients need insulin, and 100% of their open-heart surgery patients every year need insulin.
Although progressive in glycemic management, the hospital didn’t have an endocrinologist, and they felt its insulin dosing software system was creating problems that resulted in severe hypoglycemic events.
After conducting a root cause analysis of severe hypo events and finding four key opportunities for improvement, Clinical Diabetes Educator Debra Dudley swapped EndoTool for a partnership with Glytec that turned things around in less than a year.