The Association Between Frequency of Fingertip Blood Glucose Measurement and Delirium in Intensive Care Unit Patients: A Retrospective Study Based on the MIMIC-IV Database.
Jian Wei, Ruiyuan Liang, Jian Gao and 7 others
PMID 40765491WHAT IT FOUND
ICU patients who had more frequent fingertip blood glucose checks were more likely to be documented with delirium.
This association remained after other factors were considered, but the study cannot show the checks caused delirium.
Key findings
01In 28 553 adult ICU patients, 9599 (33.62%) were documented with delirium.
02After adjustment, patients with 12 or more total fingertip blood glucose readings had higher delirium likelihood than those with fewer than 3 readings.
03After adjustment, patients with 4 or more night-time fingertip blood glucose readings had higher delirium likelihood than those with fewer than 2 readings.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Single-centre retrospective database from US ICU records, so findings may not apply elsewhere. Observational design cannot prove that fingertip glucose checks caused delirium; sicker patients may receive more checks and be more prone to delirium. Delirium was identified from routine nursing CAM-ICU documentation, which may be incomplete or vary by unit. Missing data were imputed, and residual confounding or reverse causality may remain. The authors did not measure whether checks actually disrupted sleep or caused pain; mechanisms are proposed in discussion.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by Chinese research foundations, including the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Natural Science Foundation Youth Science Foundation, the Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province of China and the Anhui Institute of Translational Medicine Research Fund Project.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that reducing fingertip blood glucose checks will prevent ICU delirium. The study found an association in retrospective records, and more frequent checks may reflect sicker patients or closer monitoring rather than a harmful effect.