What Is the Purpose of Sliding Scale Insulin Dosing?

Sliding scale insulin is one type of insulin regimen used to treat both type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The goal of sliding scale insulin therapy is to maintain a patient’s blood sugar levels within a narrow, healthy range.

Uses

• In a sliding scale insulin regimen, the patient uses an algorithm to determine the dose of insulin needed, based on the results of blood sugar level tests, planned activities or anticipated carbohydrate intake.

Benefits

• Sliding scale insulin is intended to optimize insulin therapy and only give a patient the exact amount of insulin her body needs.

Disadvantages

• Sliding scale insulin often denotes a treatment plan that reacts to high blood sugar levels, rather than preventing the appearance of high blood sugar.

Expert Insight

• A study published in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy in 2009 reported that patients treated with sliding scale insulin did not achieve target blood sugar levels as often as patients treated with other insulin regimens, reinforcing earlier studies with similar results. Now, many experts and clinicians, including Dr. Etie S. Moghissi, a Fellow of the American College of Endocrinology, in a 2010 review article in Current Medical Research and Opinion, are advising physicians not to prescribe sliding scale insulin owing to the ineffectiveness of the regimen.

Warning

• Patients with diabetes should not adjust their insulin regimen without the advise or consultation of a physician or pharmacist.