Insulin Pump Course for Nurses

Lesson 1 • Diabetes Physiology and Insulin Needs

Reviews pancreatic insulin secretion patterns and how diabetes disrupts them. Provides the physiological basis for understanding continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion.

Lesson 2 • Benefits and Limitations of Pump Therapy

Compares glycemic outcomes and quality-of-life data between pump and injection therapy. Prepares nurses to counsel patients on realistic expectations.

Lesson 3 • Insulin Used in Pump Therapy

Identifies rapid-acting insulin analogs approved for pump use and their pharmacokinetics. Explains why only specific insulins are safe for continuous infusion.

Lesson 1 • Infusion Set Selection and Insertion

Covers infusion set types, insertion angles, and site selection criteria. Proper insertion technique prevents occlusions and site failures covered in later chapters.

Lesson 2 • Initial Pump Programming

Guides nurses through entering patient-specific settings during pump initialization. Accurate programming is the foundation for all subsequent dosing decisions.

Lesson 3 • Patch Pump Application Procedure

Details site preparation, adhesive application, and activation steps specific to patch pumps. Distinguishes patch pump workflow from tethered pump setup covered earlier.

Lesson 4 • Pump Safety Checks Before Use

Establishes a pre-use verification checklist to confirm device readiness. Systematic checks reduce preventable errors before the pump is connected to a patient.

Lesson 1 • Temporary Basal Rate Applications

Covers programming temporary basal rates for exercise, illness, and procedural fasting. Nurses will select appropriate percentage reductions or increases for common clinical scenarios.

Lesson 2 • Understanding Basal Rate Physiology

Explains how continuous micro-dose delivery mimics hepatic glucose suppression overnight and between meals. Links physiology to the clinical rationale for multiple daily basal segments.

Lesson 3 • Adjusting Basal Rates Safely

Provides stepwise rules for increasing or decreasing basal segments based on test data. Emphasizes incremental changes to prevent hypoglycemia during adjustment periods.

Lesson 1 • Correction Bolus Calculation

Explains correction factor use to bring elevated glucose to target range. Nurses will verify pump-calculated corrections against manual formulas to catch programming errors.

Lesson 2 • Meal Bolus Fundamentals

Teaches carbohydrate counting principles and their application to insulin-to-carb ratio dosing. Accurate meal boluses depend on the ratio settings programmed in Chapter 2.

Lesson 3 • Using the Bolus Wizard Safely

Guides nurses through bolus wizard operation and its dependency on accurate programmed settings. Identifies wizard limitations that require manual clinical override.

Lesson 4 • Bolus Delivery in Special Situations

Addresses bolus modifications for nausea, gastroparesis, and enteral feeding scenarios. Builds on standard bolus skills to handle clinically complex inpatient situations.

Lesson 1 • Continuous Glucose Monitoring Basics

Introduces CGM sensor technology, calibration requirements, and accuracy limitations. Understanding CGM function is prerequisite to interpreting integrated pump-CGM data.

Lesson 2 • Closed-Loop System Overview

Introduces hybrid closed-loop algorithm function and its interaction with nurse-initiated boluses. Nurses will understand system boundaries and when manual override is required.

Lesson 3 • Interpreting CGM Trend Arrows

Teaches nurses to read rate-of-change arrows and apply them to dosing decisions. Trend data prevents over-treatment of glucose values that are already correcting.

Lesson 4 • Sensor-Augmented Pump Features

Explains low-glucose suspend and predictive suspend automation available in integrated systems. Nurses will recognise when automation activates and how to respond appropriately.

Lesson 1 • Recognising Hypoglycemia in Pump Patients

Identifies symptom patterns, CGM alert triggers, and pump-related causes of hypoglycemia. Early recognition skills built here underpin the treatment protocols in subsequent sections.

Lesson 2 • Diabetic Ketoacidosis and Pump Failure

Explains how pump occlusion or disconnection can precipitate DKA faster than with injection therapy. Nurses will initiate DKA management and transition patients to IV insulin when indicated.

Lesson 3 • Identifying Hyperglycemia Causes

Differentiates pump-related hyperglycemia causes from dietary and illness-related causes. Systematic cause identification prevents repeated glucose excursions in hospitalised patients.

Lesson 4 • Hyperglycemia Correction Procedures

Guides nurses through correction bolus delivery, infusion set replacement, and escalation criteria. Connects correction steps to the bolus calculation skills developed in Chapter 4.

Lesson 1 • Pump Management During Imaging

Addresses MRI, CT, and radiation therapy interactions with pump hardware and sensors. Nurses will follow device-specific protocols to protect equipment and patient safety.

Lesson 2 • Hospital Pump Continuation Criteria

Defines clinical and cognitive criteria that allow patients to self-manage pumps during admission. Nurses will apply institutional criteria to determine safe continuation vs. pump removal.

Lesson 3 • Admission Assessment for Pump Patients

Establishes a structured admission assessment covering pump model, settings, and patient competency. Accurate intake data prevents dosing errors throughout the hospital stay.

Lesson 4 • Perioperative Pump Management

Covers pre-operative pump settings, intraoperative monitoring, and post-operative resumption protocols. Surgical stress and NPO status require specific pump adjustments built on Chapter 3 skills.

Lesson 1 • Systematic Pump Troubleshooting Framework

Introduces a structured patient-device-environment diagnostic approach for pump problems. A consistent framework reduces time to resolution and prevents missed causes.

Lesson 2 • Adverse Event Reporting

Explains compulsory reporting pathways for pump-related adverse events and near-misses. Accurate reporting feeds the quality improvement cycle described in the following section.

Lesson 3 • Infusion Site Failure Recognition

Identifies visual and clinical signs of lipohypertrophy, infection, and cannula failure at infusion sites. Site failure is a leading cause of unexplained hyperglycemia addressed in Chapter 6.

Lesson 4 • Unit-Level Quality Improvement

Guides nurses in analysing pump error trends and proposing protocol improvements. Continuous improvement skills transform individual troubleshooting into systemic safety gains.