Helping hospitals spot and treat high blood sugar with smart alerts
Glucose Management Clinical Decision Support to Improve Outcomes in Academic and Community Hospitals
This project adds electronic alert tools to hospital medical records to help care teams find and treat high blood sugar faster for patients with and without diabetes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Hershey, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11237106 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you are hospitalized, the team will use a computerized alert in the electronic medical record that automatically flags high or poorly treated blood sugar and suggests insulin-related actions to clinicians. The alerts are designed to support—but not replace—doctor and nurse judgement, and were built from a validated pilot tool. The project will roll out the alert system in both an academic medical center and community hospitals to see how it changes care and patient outcomes. Researchers will compare glucose control, complications, and length of stay before and after the alert is used.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people who are hospitalized and have high blood sugar or who need insulin management, including patients with diabetes and those with stress-related high glucose.
Not a fit: People who are not hospitalized or who receive care at hospitals that do not run the alert system would not directly benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could mean fewer infections and complications, shorter hospital stays, and safer blood sugar control for hospitalized patients.
How similar studies have performed: Previous alert-based decision support has improved care delivery and glucose control in intensive care settings at academic centers, but its effect on patient outcomes and its use in community hospitals has not been proven.
Where this research is happening
Hershey, United States
- Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr — Hershey, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pichardo-Lowden, Ariana Raquel — Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr
- Study coordinator: Pichardo-Lowden, Ariana Raquel
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.