Understanding Insulin

Understand prescribing and using insulin

The current spend on diabetes care by the NHS is estimated to be £1.6 million pounds per hour. 80% of this is spent on managing diabetes complications, the risk of which can be significantly reduced through effective blood glucose control using insulin.

This course will increase your knowledge about insulin covering safe prescribing, effective clinical use and how different insulins work. If you are a healthcare professional it will equip you with the skills to help you reduce insulin-related errors or if you have diabetes it should show you why insulin is so important for living well. The course won a 2020 Quality in Care Diabetes award.

This course has been primarily created for healthcare professionals to help reduce concerns around prescribing and managing insulin. However it might be also of interest to people with diabetes who do not have regular access to a healthcare professional and who want to find out more about how insulin works.

This course has been primarily created for healthcare professionals to help reduce concerns around prescribing and managing insulin. However it might be also of interest to people with diabetes who do not have regular access to a healthcare professional and who want to find out more about how insulin works.

• Describe how insulin works to control blood glucose levels
• Explain why a lack or reduced effectiveness insulin in diabetes results in high blood glucose levels and how long term high blood glucose levels can lead to complications in diabetes
• Compare the different types of insulins and their clinical uses
• Describe how to prescribe and administer insulin safely
• Identify the side effects of insulin and other factors that can affects its clinical performance
• Explain how the safe and correct use of insulin can lead to well controlled diabetes and contribute to a good quality of life