The patient's blood glucose level was 134 mg/dL at 7 AM and is now 61 mg/dL at 3 PM. Which intervention should the nurse implement first?
a. Assess the patient for confirmatory find-ings.
b. Check calibration of the blood glucose meter.
c. Administer insulin according to a sliding scale.
d. Instruct the patient to have orange juice and crackers.
A
As long as the patient is not in acute distress, the nurse assesses the patient for hypoglycemia to determine whether the patient presentation matches the glucose results. If the nurse determines that the patient has clinical indicators of hypoglycemia, the nurse incorporates these findings to form a plan of suitable nursing interventions. Checking the calibration of the device is a reasona-ble intervention if it appears that there are no confirming findings for the reading. Insulin drives glucose into the cells, further decreasing blood sugar. Until the reading is confirmed, it is not clear that providing supplemental calories to elevate blood sugar is appropriate.
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