CP04 Insulin and Blood Glucose - Devon Partnership NHS Trust

3.10 The testing frequency required, and any stipulations (e.g. before meals), should be
documented on the Diabetes Chart.
3.11 Using Blood Glucose Meters
All staff who use blood glucose monitoring equipment should receive local training from the
pathology lab or their local trainer. This should be documented in their local training record
and on ESR where possible.
3.12 Equipment should be maintained and quality control checks performed as directed by the
pathology lab.
3.13 Each blood glucose meter has its own specific testing strips. Some of these testing strips
have limited stability once the container has been opened. Always check the container for
expiry information and record the date that it was opened on the container.
3.14 If the meter is the ward meter, the testing strips will be available through the acute trust
pharmacy. If the meter belongs to an individual, the strips may not be available through the
Trust and the patient’s own supply (or FP10 prescription) may be needed.
3.15 Blood glucose results must be recorded on the Diabetes Chart and in Rio (Core Assessment,
Physical Monitoring, Blood Glucose Monitoring). The comments section should be used to
indicate any decisions/actions made in response to these results or any other factors that may
affect blood glucose results.
4. Administering Insulin / Supervising Insulin administration
4.1 Any individual prescribed insulin, or requiring blood glucose monitoring, must have a care plan
covering these actions documented in Rio.
4.2 If the individual prefers to retain responsibility for certain aspects of their diabetes care,
including self-administration of insulin, then this should be documented using the
administration agreement on the Diabetes Chart.
4.3 For self-administration of insulin the individual should use the needle device that they are
familiar with. The BD Duo Autoshield® safety insulin needle MUST be used if staff are
administering the insulin or changing needle (a video showing how to use this device is
available on the Medicines Management pages of the Trust intranet – Support for Nurses
section)
4.4 When receiving Insulin on to the ward the nurse must check the individual storage instructions
for each Insulin. Usual instructions for storage are:
Storage before opening, 2-8ºC (in the fridge)
Storage after opening, room temperature for up to 28 days (storage in a fridge after
opening can cause increased pain at the injection site and affect the release
characteristics in the body). Ensure that a label detailing the date of opening is
attached to the device on opening.
CP04 Prescribing and Administering Insulin and Monitoring Blood Glucose
Approved by Drug and Therapeutics Committee: April 2014
Review Date: April 2016
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