5th October 2020
The Southern Trust will join forces with healthcare professionals across the country to raise awareness of a short-term complication of diabetes in a national drive to improve staff knowledge and care.
The Southern Trust is staging a seven-day campaign to raise awareness about, and reduce episodes of, hypoglycaemia as part of Hypo Awareness Week, which runs from Monday, October 5, to Sunday, October 11, 2020.
Hypoglycaemia, also known as a hypo, takes place when the blood glucose levels of people with diabetes drop too low. In hospital, a hypo is confirmed if blood glucose levels drop below 4.0 mmol/L. They can feel shaky, unwell and, in extreme cases, can slip into a coma.
According to results from the 2017 National Diabetes Inpatient Audit, around one in six hospitals beds are occupied by a person with diabetes and of these, almost one in five inpatients with diabetes experiences hypoglycaemia during their hospital stay1.
The annual campaign aims to raise awareness of hypoglycaemia in the UK by educating healthcare professionals about the short-term complications of diabetes.
As part of a week-long series of activities, the trust will be staging training events to raise awareness of the condition. Resources, including guidelines, e-learning session and educational videos, will be used to help spread the word.
To get started please see e-learning activity on hypos available for free at www.cdep.org.uk