basal-bolus insulin therapy

basal-bolus insulin therapy

An insulin regimen for diabetic patients in which patients use short- or rapid-acting insulins before each meal (bolus doses) and a long-acting insulin once a day (basal dose).

Patient care

A typical regimen uses approximately equal doses of long-acting insulin (such as glargine) and short- or rapid-acting insulins. The total dose of premeal insulin is either divided into thirds (if a patient consumes roughly equal amounts of carbohydrates at each meal) or is adjusted so that the meal with the greatest carbohydrate load is covered by a proportionately larger dose of rapid-acting insulin