Healthcare professional support: diabetic ketoacidosis avoidance and care

Diabetic ketoacidosis is an acute, life-threatening diabetesrelated emergency. Our study aimed to explore the support that key healthcare professionals desired around diabetic ketoacidosis avoidance and care within a low socio economic region of Australia. Participants were recruited from a community hospital using the following methods: direct contact of key hospital staff and use of snowballing, and posters placed in clinical and non-clinical areas. Audio-taped interview data were analysed using Gibbs’s thematic framework, which entails transcription and familiarisation, code building, theme development, and data consolidation and interpretation. Interviews were conducted with 15 healthcare professionals from across allied health and medical professions. Describing factors relating to diabetic ketoacidosis presentations in people with type 1 diabetes, two themes emerged: a disparity in knowledge and health system opportunities. Findings complement the wealth of literature which details the problem of gaps in support for patient self-care to avoid diabetic ketoacidosis and prevent late presentation of this potentially fatal condition. There is a pressing need to ensure that healthcare professionals have the appropriate level of knowledge to prevent, recognise and treat diabetic ketoacidosis. Service reconfiguration can support care delivery.