C301 Translational Research for Practice and Populations CS Western Governors University

Practice Change

A. A current nursing practice within my healthcare setting that requires change has to do with the potential of mixing up Heparin and Humalog. I noticed this potential problem right away as a new nurse and was the first thing I thought of when asked to identify a practice change. Currently, we store a patient's Humalog (short-acting insulin) in a locked medication box in the patient's room. Many of our patients are on Heparin while in the hospital to prevent blood clots. These two vials look very similar and often we are administering a patient's Heparin at the same time we are covering their blood sugar with Humalog. We do scan in all medications, but we...