Nurses Canned After Faking Insulin Test Results For Elderly Nursing Home Patients

Faking Insulin Test Results For Elderly In a bold display of laziness, two nurses at a Minnesota Nursing Home have been terminated from their positions after an investigation at Cook Nursing Home revealed that the nurses were lying about administering blood sugar tests to seven residents at the facility.

The imaginary blood sugar levels were then used to arbitrarily administer insulin to patients at the facility.  As reported by the Devils Lake Journal, the situation was doscovered when a resident told staff at the facility that she couldn’t remember having her blood sugar tested the evening before.

While this disturbing situation apparently resulted in no injury to any of the patients involved, failing to monitor and control a patient’s blood sugar level certainly poses a significantly opportunity for serious injury or even death to vulnerable patients..

Patients with inadequate insulin levels are at risk for developing a complication known as diabetic ketoacidosis.  Without the insulin needed for the body to optimally function, the body then looks to tissue and fat deposits in the body for energy.  However, unlike a normal “fat burning” process induced by exercise, situations involving diabetic acidosis commonly involve the development of acids known as ketones which can result in toxicity.

Similarly, patiens who are given unnecessary insulin may be at risk for developing a condition known as hypoglycemia.  Hypoglycemic patients can faint, fall or even go into a coma when insulin is not administered in its proper dose or is given at an inappropriate time.

Learn more about the laws applicable to Minnesota nursing homes here.
Click on the links for information on nursing homes in Minneapolis , Rochester and St. Paul

Related:

Diabetic Ketoacidosis Is An Under-Appreciated Danger Facing Many Nursing Home Patients

Never Event #3: Poorly Controlled Blood Sugar, Hyperglycemia & Hypoglycemia

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