A nurse cares for a client with diabetes mellitus who asks, "Why do I need to administer more than one injection of insulin each day?" How should the nurse respond?

Question

a. "You need to start with multiple injections until you become more proficient at self-injection."
b. "A single dose of insulin each day would not match your blood insulin levels and your food intake patterns."
c. "A regimen of a single dose of insulin injected each day would require that you eat fewer carbohydrates."
d. "A single dose of insulin would be too large to be absorbed, predictably putting you at risk for insulin shock."

Answer 1

ANS: B
Even when a single injection of insulin contains a combined dose of different-acting insulin types, the timing of the actions and the timing of food intake may not match well enough to prevent wide variations in blood glucose levels. One dose of insulin would not be appropriate even if the client decreased carbohydrate intake. Additional injections are not required to allow the client practice with injections, nor will one dose increase the client's risk of insulin shock.