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Practice for sale formGPs with patients who observe Ramadan, and who also have a diabetes diagnosis, are being urged to offer them a pre-fasting assessment.
The Diabetes and Ramadan risk calculator allows GPs to calculate a patient’s risk of fasting based on their specific treatment. The assessment calculates a patient’s possible risk based on aspects such as level of glycaemic control, type of medication used, comorbidities and complications.
GPs can also discuss monitoring and how to treat a hypo, or manage high BGL, as well as prescribing any Ramadan-specific changes in the dose and/or timing of their patient’s diabetes medication or insulin regime.
Patients need to be reminded a hypo is a medical emergency, and treatment means they will have to break their fast. A visit to their GP to adjust their insulin regime before they begin fasting can help to avoid this.
GPs can advise their patients with diabetes that fasting or refraining from using medications, insulin and drinking water during Ramadan will affect their BGL and can lead to potential risks including high BGL (hyperglycaemia), low BGL (hypoglycaemia or hypo), dehydration, blood clots and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).
According to religious tenets, fasting should not create excessive hardship on an individual and those with diabetes should be reminded of any associated risks.
By using the Diabetes and Ramadan tool, GPs can make recommendations around the risk involved with fasting, based on their assessment.
It is also useful to conduct a post-Ramadan assessment to see what worked well, and what didn’t, so diabetes management can be adjusted in the future.
GPs are also able to access Telehealth case conferencing for specialist advice in the case of complex patients.
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