Administration of oral glucose depends on the patient's ability to:

• A. Being awake to give a history
• B. Diabetes and altered level of consciousness
• C. Having hypoglycemia and able to swallow
• D. Using insulin and experiencing hypoglycemia

Answer: (C)

Oral glucose is given only when the person is actually experiencing low blood sugar and can protect their airway by swallowing. If a patient is unconscious, has a reduced gag reflex, or cannot swallow safely, oral glucose could be aspirated and should not be used. In those situations you’d use an alternative route such as IV dextose or glucagon.

So the best answer says the patient is having hypoglycemia and is able to swallow. Being awake to give a history isn’t enough by itself, and having diabetes with altered consciousness isn’t a requirement and altered consciousness itself would make oral glucose unsafe. While insulin use can predispose to hypoglycemia, it isn’t the deciding factor for administering oral glucose.