Capillary blood glucose for a shaky patient with diabetes
NMC OSCE practice station
Clinical skills · 1 min to read · 6 min to perform
Try a real conversation · NMC OSCEAI practice
Fatima Rahman, aged 47, has type 1 diabetes and tells you she feels shaky and sweaty.
Fatima RahmanI feel really shaky and a bit sweaty, nurse.
Free · no sign-up · uses your one free station
Open the full station (charts, voice, result letter) →The task
You are the nurse on a medical ward. Fatima Rahman, aged 47, has type 1 diabetes and tells you she feels shaky and sweaty. A healthcare assistant is available. Introduce yourself, explain and ask her consent. Measure her capillary blood glucose using the meter provided, say aloud what you are doing and why, then act on the result. Record the reading and your actions on the form provided.
What this station tests
- Treat a reading below 4.0 mmol/L in a person with diabetes straight away; do not wait for the doctor.
- Fast-acting carbohydrate first, then recheck after 15 minutes and follow with a longer-acting carbohydrate.
- Use the side of the fingertip, a single-use lancet and the sharps bin at the point of use.
- Check the meter, the strips and the quality control before you rely on the number.
- Ask why it happened, such as a late meal after insulin, and pass it on. Do not simply omit insulin in type 1 diabetes.
Sources for the clinical content
- JBDS 01: The hospital management of hypoglycaemia in adults with diabetes mellitus
- NICE NG17: Type 1 diabetes in adults
- NMC: The Code
An original practice scenario with invented patients. Not an exam question.