DKAs on the floor?

[JazzyRN]

I work in a NYC children's hospital per diem. In this hospital when a child comes in as a DKA on insulin drip with fluids and Q1 hr fingersticks, they are placed on the floor. A nurse will admit and care for this patient along with her 4 or 5 other patients. The DKA pt is very time consuming with all the fingersticks, labs, urine dips, titrating insulin and changing IVFs or rates every hour or two. I see this as being dangerous. All of the other hospitals I have worked, DKAs were in the ICU until transitioned off the insulin gtt.I was just wondering what others have experienced?

[Burnt Out, ASN, RN]

We haven't had a DKA pt on an insulin drip with Q 1 hr FSBS in forever on the unit I work. Most of the time they are transferred out after they are stable from ICU/CCU.

[not now, RN]

We'd take insulin drips on my (old) floor along with our other 4-5 patients. I've had a patient on both an insulin and bumex drip along with 4 other patients. I've had five patients, two on insulin drips. The nurses hated it and complained but not much happened. This is part of the reason I transferred to another floor.

In the hospital I went to school at insulin drips could only be in ICU.