Inpatient management of diabetes mellitus with poor glycaemic control: determinants of therapeutic success

Abstract

Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease with an increasing prevalence worldwide, involving both sexes and all ages. In 2015, the estimated prevalence of DM in the Portuguese population aged between 20 and 79 years (7.7 million individuals) was 13.3%, namely more than 1 million. Moreover, 5.8% were previously unaware of the diagnosis. Globally, and in the same year, it was estimated that 415 million people, one in every 11 adults, suffered from DM. 1 The increasing incidence of DM and prediabetes represents a leading public health problem, concerning the entire medical community and health care systems around the world. Every day, endocrinologists face the challenge of trying to condense a large volume of complex information and practical skills into something useful for a population that is often illiterate and scarce in their abilities. The high number of consults and the reduced time for individual evaluation often makes it difficult to overcome. When attempts to educate patients about their disease, self-care