Final answer:
The priority action for a nurse caring for a patient with DM who is dizzy, weak, and shaky should be to monitor blood glucose levels immediately. If hypoglycemia is confirmed, a high-sugar snack would be provided next, not insulin, which is used to lower blood glucose levels in cases of hyperglycemia.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a patient with diabetes mellitus (DM) reports feeling dizzy, weak, and shaky, these symptoms may indicate hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, rather than high blood sugar. Therefore, the correct action by the nurse is not administering insulin, which would lower glucose levels further and could be dangerous. Instead, the priority action should be monitoring blood glucose levels to determine the patient's current glucose level. If hypoglycemia is confirmed, providing a high-sugar snack would be the immediate next step to raise blood glucose levels to a safe range.
Insulin injections are indeed used to help control blood glucose levels by facilitating the transport and storage of glucose. However, they are typically administered when blood sugar levels are high - in cases of hyperglycemia - to bring them back to normal. In the case of this patient, insulin would not be appropriate if their current symptoms are due to low blood sugar.
Controlling stress and enlisting the support of a healthcare team are critical for diabetes management, but these are long-term strategies. For the immediate situation described by the student, the focus should be on assessing and correcting the blood sugar level.