Treating mild hypoglycemia in an alert client
Question
At 1530, a client with type 2 diabetes who takes glipizide is shaky, sweaty and nervous. The client is alert and able to swallow. Place the nurse's actions in the order they should be performed, starting with the first.
Correct order
- Check the blood glucose
- Give 15 grams of fast-acting carbohydrate by mouth
- Recheck the blood glucose after 15 minutes
- Give another 15 grams of carbohydrate if the glucose is still below 70 mg/dL
Answer
1. Check the blood glucose → 2. Give 15 grams of fast-acting carbohydrate by mouth → 3. Recheck the blood glucose after 15 minutes → 4. Give another 15 grams of carbohydrate if the glucose is still below 70 mg/dL
Rationale
The nurse first checks the client's blood glucose. An alert client who can swallow receives 15 grams of a fast-acting carbohydrate by mouth, and the glucose is rechecked after 15 minutes to see whether it has recovered. If the reading is still below 70 mg/dL, the same amount of carbohydrate is repeated and the cycle continues until the glucose is back above that level.
Sources
Sources marked “Adapted from” are licensed under CC BY 4.0. We changed the material: its facts are rewritten into an original question, answer options and rationale. The original authors and publishers do not endorse SwipeExam.
- Adapted from Open RN Nursing Skills, 2nd edition: Chapter 19 Specimen Collection
- Adapted from Open RN Health Alterations: Chapter 7 Endocrine Alterations
- Adapted from Open RN Nursing Pharmacology, 2nd edition: Chapter 9 Endocrine System
- Adapted from Open RN Nursing Health Promotion: HIGH-RISK PERINATAL CLIENT CARE
- Hypoglycemia (MedlinePlus health topic)
Last verified: 3 independent automated checks Question rn-ppt-00475, version 1
Checks are automated. No licensed clinician has reviewed this question. Check the sources and your program’s materials.
Report an error in this question. For education only; not medical advice. See all sources and licenses.