Which statement about insulin sensitivity and correctional insulin administration is correct?

a. One unit of insulin typically lowers a person’s blood glucose (BG) by 2 to 15 mg/dL.

b. One unit of insulin typically lowers a person’s blood glucose (BG) by 5 to 25 mg/dL.

c. The correctional insulin dose is directly proportional to the sensitivity factor.

d. The correctional insulin dose is inversely proportional to the sensitivity factor.

Answer to Quiz Time: d. The insulin sensitivity setting determines how much correctional insulin the patient should receive. The resulting insulin dose is inversely proportional to the sensitivity factor; a high sensitivity factor necessitates a low insulin dose and vice versa. Not everyone with diabetes responds to insulin the same way, so 1 unit of insulin may lower BG by 10 mg/dL right now, but the same dose given to the same patient at another time may cause a 20-mg/dL change in BG.

Learn more by reading the continuing nursing education article “Boost your confidence in caring for patients with insulin pumps.”