A nurse is about to administer a client's morning dosage of insulin. The client's order is for 5 units of regular and 10 units of NPH given as a basal dose. He also is to receive an amount ordered from his medium-dose sliding scale (shown below), based on his morning blood glucose level. The nurse performs a bedside blood glucose measurement and the result is 264 mg/dl. How many total units of insulin should the nurse administer to the client?Answer: ___ units

21

The correct answer is 21. RATIONALE: The basal dosage for this client is 5 units of regular insulin and 10 units of NPH insulin. Using the medium-dose sliding scale and the clients blood glucose reading of 264 mg/dl, the nurse should determine that an additional 6 units of regular insulin are required, totalling 21 units (5 units + 10 units + 6 units = 21 units). CLIENT NEEDS CATEGORY: Physiological integrity CLIENT NEEDS SUBCATEGORY: Pharmacological and parenteral therapies COGNITIVE LEVEL: Application REFERENCE: Taylor, C., et al. Fundamentals of Nursing: The Art and Science of Nursing Care, 6th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2008, p. 795.