Failure to Provide Supervised Guidance for Insulin Dosing
Summary
The facility failed to provide regular and consistent supervised guidance to assist Resident #4 in making educated decisions on determining an appropriate sliding scale insulin dose based on blood glucose assessment and carbohydrate intake. The facility's policy required the physician and staff to summarize factors contributing to the resident's diabetes and assess the impact on the individual's function and quality of life. However, the nursing staff did not document the insulin dosage administered or the rationale for the dose administered if it was not in line with the physician's order. Additionally, there was no documentation of the supervision and guidance efforts of the nurses administering the resident's sliding scale insulin dose or how the dosing was determined based on the assessment of the resident's blood glucose level and carbohydrate intake. Resident #4, who was under the age of 65 and had multiple diagnoses including type one diabetes mellitus, visual loss, and schizophrenia, reported difficulties in managing his diabetes due to inconsistent meal times and portion sizes. He mentioned that his insulin was often administered late, causing his blood sugar to drop significantly, leading to hospitalizations. The resident's medical records revealed that he had been to the hospital multiple times due to hypoglycemia, with blood glucose levels dropping as low as 20. Despite the resident's ability to titrate his insulin dosing, there was no clear documentation of the nursing staff's involvement in guiding and supervising this process. Interviews with the facility staff, including the corporate nurse consultant and the nursing home administrator, indicated that diabetic education should have been offered to Resident #4 and documented in his medical record if he refused it. The staff acknowledged that diabetic education was part of diabetic management, but there was no information on why Resident #4 was allowed to titrate his insulin, which was not within normal standards of practice. The resident's comorbidities, including blindness and substance use, further complicated his ability to correctly dose his insulin, leading to multiple emergency room visits related to low blood sugar.
Penalty
Resources
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