Food Insecurity and Insulin Use in Hyperglycemic Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department

We examined the prevalence of food insecurity and subtherapeutic insulin use among patients who presented to the ED with a blood glucose level of greater than 250 milligrams per deciliter.Methods: This was a single-center, cross-sectional survey of clinically stable, hyperglycemic adults in the ED for food insecurity using the Hunger Vital Sign screening tool. Patients who were insulin dependent were asked about insulin usage and rationing.Results: Of the 85 eligible patients, 76 (89.4%) were enrolled; 35 (46%) screened positive for food insecurity. Food insecure patients were 1.9 times more likely to be hospitalized than non-food insecure patients (relative risk = 1.90 [1.21-2.99], p<.01). Food insecure patients were younger than non-food insecure...
Source: Western Journal of Emergency Medicine - Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research