Blood glucose w high and low solutions

[combinate]

We are preparing for a practical med admin exercise, where we are assigned a med from a list and have to simulate administering that med to the patient. If the med happens to be insulin, the instructor will evaluate performance against this criteria:

"Properly obtains blood glucose (using high and low solutions)"

Please remind me re using high and low solutions. I know we expect blood glucose to be low in the early a.m. and to peak right after meals.

[4everstudent15]

Fellow student here but could they be referring to the glucose controls? We have a high and low control that we use to test the monitor. Unless they want you to actually test a blood glucose maybe they want you to stimulate the act using the high and low solutions.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I am quite certain this refers to QCing the meter- hospital policy will dictate how often this must be done. There are "high" and "low" control solutions and you need to do this to ensure that the meter is working correctly.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

My first thought was the high/low control solutions you use for QCs--you don't use them to actually check a pt's BG.

Or maybe the school has high/low solutions to simulate a pt's blood sample? So the student goes through the motions of checking a BG, except they use a drop from this bottle since they don't have an actual pt? Then based on the "result", administer or hold the insulin?

[jrost80RNBSN]

You're refering to the "HIGH" and "LOW" controls used to calibrate the glucometer once every 24 hours. Once turning on the meter it prompts you to scan the barcode on each bottle (one at a time) and once scanned you then scan a strip to place in the meter. You then place a drop on the strip, when done with one you then scan the bottle and strip of the other and repeat. Once this is done the meter is calibrated. This is usually done on the 11-7 shift at most hospitals.

[combinate]

Thank you all very much! This brings it back to me. I do remember scanning the control bottle tags and measuring the respective control solutions.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

I think your instructor is making the point that you should not ASSUME the glucometer is calibrated for your test, but that you should first calibrate it yourself. That way you have a better chance of getting a test result from which you feel confident about making an assessment of the patient's condition. The instructor could have been more clear, however.