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Reduce Adverse Drug Events Involving Insulin:
Coordinate Insulin Doses with Meal Times

If there is a long delay between administration of a dose and the time when the patient eats, the patient may suffer an adverse drug event related to hypoglycemia. Coordinating the dosing time with meal delivery times in the hospital setting can prevent this outcome.


Tips
  • Confirm that the patient has eaten, just in case there was a delay in meal delivery or the patient did not eat.
  • Consider having patients in hospital administer their own insulin (if they are accustomed to doing so at home or are learning how), so they can coordinate the dose with the time that they eat.
  • Keep food available on the patient care unit so that patients can eat even if there is a long delay in meal delivery.