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High-strength insulins: think and act in units of insulin to prevent errors

FEATURED REVIEW At home as in hospital (and other healthcare facilities), errors associated with insulin use are numerous, frequent and can have serious consequences. How can dosing errors due to the coexistence of different strengths of insulin on the market be prevented?
Full review (2 pages) available for download by subscribers.

Abstract

  • The coexistence of different strengths of insulin (100 units/ml, 200 units/ml and 300 units/ml) on the market can lead to dosing errors, sometimes with serious consequences.
     
  • These errors are due to: attempts at dose conversion that are actually unnecessary; prescribing errors; use of an insulin syringe to draw up solution from a pen cartridge; and differences between pens in the number of units of insulin per dose step.
     
  • When selecting the dose on an insulin pen, the number displayed on the dose counter always corresponds to the number of units of insulin to be administered, regardless of the product's strength.
     
  • To prevent these errors, it is important to: think and act in units of insulin; rely on the pen's unit counter; never attempt dose conversion; and only use equipment intended for use with the insulin product prescribed.

©Prescrire 1 March 2019

"High-strength insulins: think and act in units of insulin to prevent errors" Prescrire Int 2019; 28 (202): 70-71. (Pdf, subscribers only).

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Download the full review.
Pdf, subscribers only

See also:

A warning on the dangers
of insulin at 200 units per ml
(April 2014)
Free

Insulin use: numerous
preventable errors
(January 2014)
Free