Our September 7th Question of the week quizzed test takers on carb counting. 55% of respondents chose the correct answer. This was a hard question. Figuring out how much insulin to cover carbs is an important topic to review, so we can pass on correct info to people living with diabetes.
Before we start though, if you don’t want any spoilers and haven’t tried the question yet, you can answer below: Answer Question
Question: LS uses an insulin pump and CGM. Most recent report reveals LS is running 56% time in range and 44% above target range. LS asks for help with carb counting. A typical breakfast includes: ½ cup of milk, 2 tablespoons peanut butter and 1 piece whole grain bread, 3 oz’s of grapes and one cup of black coffee with Splenda. LS’s insulin to carb ratio for breakfast is 1:12, for lunch and dinner is 1:15.
Based on this, how much insulin does LS need for breakfast?
Answer Choices:
As shown above, the most common choice was option 3, the second most common answer was option 1, then option 4, and finally option 2.
If you are thinking about taking the certification exam, this practice test question will set you up for success. Test writers anticipate possible answers based on the details in the question. They will wave those “juicy answers” right under your nose. Your job is to weed through the particulars, do careful math, be familiar with the exchange list and choose the BEST answer.
Diabetes Exchange List – a brief summary of serving size and carbohydrate counts for common foods. Excellent study tool for the exam.
Here are the carb counts of the foods listed:
LS’s insulin to carb ratio:
Answer 1 is incorrect. 23.97% chose this answer, “3.1 units.” If you chose this answer you are so close. For the exam, remember that one cup of milk has 12gms of carbohydrate (not 15gms). Please see the link to the exchange list for the carb counts of common foods.
Answer 2 is incorrect. 9.98% of you chose this answer, “2.4 units.” If you chose this answer, you may have used the lunch/dinner insulin to carb ratio of 1:15 instead of the breakfast ratio of 1:12. This is an easy mistake to make, so make sure to read the question carefully and take your time doing the math. You got this.
Answer 3 is correct. 55.32% of respondents chose this answer, “3.0 units.” GREAT JOB. This is the best answer. The total carb intake for LS is 36 gms. Since the Insulin to Carb (I:CR) ratio for breakfast is 1:12, to find out how much insulin LS needs for breakfast, just divide gms of carb by the I:CR or 36 / 12 = 3 units.
Finally, Answer 4 is incorrect. 10.73% chose this answer, “2.5 units.” If you chose this answer. there are 2 things to be aware of: one cup of milk has 12gms of carbohydrate (not 15gms) and you may have used the lunch/dinner insulin to carb ratio of 1:15 instead of the breakfast ratio of 1:12. These are easy mistakes to make, so make sure to read the question carefully, be familiar with common carbs and take your time doing the math. You got this.
Diabetes Exchange List – a brief summary of serving size and carbohydrate counts for common foods. Excellent study tool for the exam.
We hope you appreciate this week’s rationale! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our Question of the Week and participate in this fun learning activity!
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