Insulin admin question

[chainurse22]

Hello!

For some reason, insulin administration and I sometimes don't click, and I really want to have a hold on this before I begin to care for patients on my own. I understand how to administer insulin, I just struggle with the WHY behind some of the rules. So the hospital I am starting at uses bolus and correction dosing. During our orientation, they stressed that when giving a correction dose, you have to use the PRE-MEAL blood sugar. If you take the patient's blood sugar after they eat, you cannot give the correction dose. I follow the rule, but it confuses me a bit. Why can't we use the post-meal sugar for correction dosing? Would that cause the pt to bottom-out or might the correction dose not be high enough? Maybe I am overthinking it, but I appreciate all answers, thank you!! :)

[Kallie3006, ADN]

Checking before a meal gives you the baseline of the blood sugar before eating. Once the person starts to eat the blood sugar rises if you use a fast-acting insulin on a blood sugar taken after eating you will be getting a number that is going to inaccurate and too high. If you are giving the fast acting on the number taken after eating you will be giving to much insulin which could make the person bottom out since there will not be any food following the insulin for it to maintain the blood sugar

[chainurse22]

Thank you :)

[JKL33]

I like that you asked the question rather than just following protocols and rules without understanding!