Randomized trial of computer-assisted insulin delivery in patients with type I diabetes beginning pump therapy

• HIT Description: Decision support and computerized medication dosing. More info...
  
• Purpose of Study: Evaluate a computer-assisted insulin dosage decision-making system.
  
• Years of study: Not Available
  
• Study Design: RCT
  
• Outcomes: Impact on patient safety, Impact on health care effectivness/quality
  

• Settings: Sixteen patients with type I diabetes beginning pump therapy participated in the study.
• Intervention: A computer-assisted insulin dosage decision-making group, which relied on interactive instruction from a computer, was compared to a standard group, which used standard algorithms for insulin adjustment.
• Evaluation Method: Measures of blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c, and hypoglycemic episodes.
• Quality of Care and Patient Safety Outcome: Mean blood glucose level during the study for the computer group was 121 mg/dl (6.7 mM), which was significantly, lower (p less than 0.01) than glucose levels charted by the standard group: 148 mg/dl (8.2 mM). Mean number of blood glucose values charted by the computer group (58 per week) was significantly (p less than 0.01) greater than the number charted by the standard group (51 per week). Hemoglobin A1c values at six weeks correlated with the mean number of blood glucose values charted per week of the study. There was no difference between groups in symptomatic hypoglycemic episodes.