Sliding Scale Insulin

A 73-year-old female with a 20-year history of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and stage 3B CKD, typically at treatment goals with oral medications, is being seen. She was discharged yesterday after being hospitalized for three days with community-acquired pneumonia and is here for a follow-up visit. She states she's feeling much better with less shortness of breath, diminished cough, and sputum production, and is without fever. She mentions that while she was in the hospital that, quote, they changed my diabetes medicine and gave me insulin four times a day to keep my sugar controlled, close quote. A review of her discharge note reveals that rapid acting insulin was given according to blood glucose levels without scheduled basal insulin and this was used from admission to discharge. Random glucose today is at 220. The patient asks, should I start back up on those insulin shots? I've never used them before. The NP considers with which of the following. A. given her random blood glucose is elevated, the use of a sliding scale insulin should be continued for the next week B. the use of a sliding scale insulin potentially results in wide glucose excursions C. sliding scale insulin is helpful as it mimics physiologic insulin secretion D. the sliding scale insulin regimen should now be replaced with a basal insulin --- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pig89cLdQ5k&list=PLf0PFEPBXfq592b5zCthlxSNIEM-H-EtD&index=125 Visit fhea.com to learn more!