Okuzeka
Nursing vocabulary · Vital Signs

Blood glucose

Meaning in nursing, with examples

/ˈblʌd ˌɡluːkoʊs/nounCore term

In nursing, blood glucose means: The amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood, often checked with a drop of blood from the fingertip and a small meter.

In Turkish: kan şekeri, kan glukozu

How it is used

Nurses check blood glucose before meals and at bedtime for patients with diabetes, and when a patient is drowsy, sweaty or confused. Results are in mmol/L in the UK and many other countries and in mg/dL in the US and Turkey. Informally: 'blood sugar', 'BMs' (UK) or 'fingerstick' (US).

Example sentences

  1. Her blood glucose was 14.5 before lunch, so I've let the diabetes nurse know.

  2. Can you check the blood glucose in bed 9 before breakfast?

Common collocations

  • check blood glucose
  • blood glucose level
  • monitor blood glucose
  • low blood glucose
  • blood glucose meter
  • observationsIn nursing, the regular set of measurements taken from a patient, mainly the vital signs, and sometimes other checks such as pain or level of consciousness.
  • vital signsThe basic body measurements that show how well a patient's body is working: usually temperature, pulse, breathing rate, blood pressure and oxygen level.
  • baselineA patient's usual or starting state, such as their normal blood pressure, mobility or mental state, used for comparing later changes.
  • medication roundThe set times of the day when a nurse takes the medicines trolley around the ward and gives patients their prescribed medicines.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Vital Signs

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.