Introduction

The Insulin module introduces students to insulin management on the ward and provides an approach to assessing and managing the insulin-dependent patient.

This module forms part of the Core Curriculum.

• It requires 30 minutes preparation.

• It can be taught in 1 hour to 2 hours

  • This session could be divided into two sessions if required, giving students time to work through practical exercises

Teaching approach

As with all modules, familiarise yourself with the NPMT principles.

Insulin management is a vital component of medical care for diabetic patients. The complexities of an individual patient’s clinical factors require a systematic approach to insulin management and a good understanding of insulin options.

This module uses practical examples to teach students how to approach the insulin-dependent patient in a variety of clinical scenarios and how to safely and effectively adjust insulin doses to reflect patients changing needs. It is encouraged that you use your own experience to provide clinical examples of insulin management and allow students to work their way through the assessment and prescribing process.

Aims and Objectives

The module seeks to teach students how to:

1. Understand Australian Insulin Medication Charts
2. Chart insulin as regular, Supplemental (sliding scale) and once only doses
3. Review BSLs: Understand factors affecting readings, the time relevance of readings and how to manage hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia.
4. Make appropriate, small long-term adjustments to insulin

Resources:

• Curriculum pack

Other Resources

• Thinksulin. A free app developed by ACI in consultation with the NSW Diabetes Taskforce, this is a useful tool to guide students