hi we are the diabetes nurse service at the queen elizabeth university hospital in glasgow
i'm victoria and i'm the team lead for the diabetes specialist nurses during your stay
as an inpatient you may see other members of the multi-disciplinary team these include
consultants and registrars please be assured that all members of the team are highly skilled
in their area of practice and you will see the appropriate member of the team at varying
times in your hospital stay due to the global pandemic we may not be able to see you face
to face these videos have been prepared to help support you in your diabetes management
which may have changed recently please feel free to watch the videos as many times as
you wish and do share them with your friends and family who support you in your diabetes
management we will also refer you to the most appropriate service to support you when you
leave hospital this may be a community diabetes nurse your gp or another hospital diabetes
service
this video today will provide education on insulin and injection technique insulin therapy
is used to manage blood glucose levels for a variety of reasons it can only be given
by injection due to your particular glucose levels a decision has been reached by the
diabetes multidisciplinary team that you require insulin this may be for a short period of
time or it may be a long-term therapy that you require insulin can be taken at different
times of the day and your insulin pattern will be explained to you and included in your
discharge letter from hospital an electronic copy of your discharge letter will be sent
to your gp and this will let your gp know that you have commenced on insulin and it
will be added to your repeat prescription the inpatient diabetes team will contact your
gp to have any other items you require for your diabetes management added to your repeat
prescription
you will be discharged from hospital with a supply of insulin insulin requires to be
stored in your fridge between two to eight degrees celsius so when you return home from
hospital please store your insulin in your fridge insulin is an injectable drug and will
come in a pre-filled pen these contain 300 units of insulin this means they are reusable
once you start to use an insulin pen please remove it from the fridge 15 minutes before
you use and once out of the fridge it should be stored at room temperature for up to one
month
remember insulin should not be left in direct sunlight or near a heat source
if you are on a basal bolus insulin regime this will mean that you have two different
insulin pens one will contain long-acting insulin and the second will contain rapid
acting insulin both these insulins should be clear like water you will be given leaflets
on the insulin you have been prescribed please make sure you read these and understand what
each insulin does remember your discharge letter will contain how much insulin you should
take and when you should take it if the insulin you are taking is called humelin m3 or has
mix in the name then this means that it contains both short and longer acting insulin if you
have a mix insulin then you require to combine the two insulins together before you remove
the lid of the pen please roll it back and forth in your hand 10 times and then side
to side like a seesaw 10 times this ensures you get the correct ratio of insulin mix insulins
will always look milky or cloudy after they are properly combined please do not use an
insulin that has not been prescribed or looks different from the insulin you have been taking
you must also check the use by date that can be found on the side of the pen label insulin
injections are called subcutaneous injections this means the liquid is injected into the
fat we stored just beneath the skin we tend to store this fat in the following areas the
abdominal area also known as the tummy the tops of our buttocks the tops of our thighs
and at the upper back section of the arms we recommend that you rotate your injection
sites this will help to prevent lipo hypertrophy and allow insulin to be absorbed correctly
you will need your insulin pen and a four millimeter needle to carry out an injection
i will now demonstrate how to carry out an injection please remove the lid of the insulin
pen this is where the insulin is contained at the other end of the pen is the dial and
plunger now we will attach the needle to the pen remove the paper from the needle case
snap the end of the pen with the insulin into the needle screw the needle until it is tight
and secure remove the large plastic outer cover then remove the small plastic inner
cover we will now carry out a test shot to ensure that the needle and insulin pen are
connected and working dial up two to four units of insulin push the plunger and look
at the needle you should see a small amount of liquid come from the needle if you do not
see any liquid please repeat if there is no insulin then remove the needle and start again
once you have seen insulin coming from the needle please dial up your dose of insulin
for the purposes of this video we will use 10 units as an example please select an area
for injection you do not need to pinch the skin you only require to secure the surrounding
skin like so you should then gently insert the needle into your skin at a 90 degree angle
push the plunger down to zero and then remove your thumb or finger from the plunger now
count to ten try not to move your hand and remember to breathe then remove the needle
from your skin as the needles are single use only we now need to remove the needle from
the pen if you have a needle clip please use this to remove the needle if not take the
large plastic needle cover place it on top of the needle and now unscrew and remove it
from the pen
when you start self-injecting you may find that you bruise or bleed slightly this is
normal and will reduce as you develop your injection technique remember if you require
further support your diabetes healthcare professional will be there to help