KARMA2 – The initial results!

KARMA2 was an EEAST diabetes research study to explore whether ambulance clinicians could reliably and safely identify diabetic ketoacidosis using blood ketone meters, and start fluid therapy, and determine whether a full-scale clinical trial was warranted.

A summary of the initial KARMA2 findings can be found here.

The main KARMA2 conclusions were:

• Ambulance capillary blood ketone meter use for ‘High-Risk’ DKA patient recognition and commencement of fluid therapy was deemed acceptable.
• Ambulance ketone measurement offered opportunities to expedite in-hospital emergency DKA care.
• Ambulance clinicians associated meter use with improved clinical decision-making, patient support, and safety-netting.
• There is scope for improved ambulance diabetes education – ‘sick day rules’ and euglycaemic DKA were unfamiliar for most study participants.
• COVID-19 impacted study recruitment so that progression criteria were not met. Learning could include use of alternative trial design and clinician training mode for future research.

NEWS! These findings were presented at the 2023 Diabetes UK Professional Conference (April; Liverpool), where KARMA2 won the Diabetes UK Nursing and Allied Healthcare Professional Diabetes Research Award!

Next month, the results of the study interviews will be presented at the 999 EMS Research Forum (Manchester). The study team are also busy preparing papers for publication.

Published 16th May 2023