Our Story

Hi I'm Leslie. I’m a Physician Assistant in an Endocrinology practice. Early on in my career, a 53-year-old woman came in for her appointment. She had a long-standing history of diabetes with multiple complications - including partial finger amputations. It was sad - she painted the tips of her finger stubs to match her remaining nails. She confidently handed me her glucose log and I realized her documented glucose readings and insulin doses were not consistent with the prescribed sliding scale. Her doses were all over the place. We sat down to talk about it and even though she claimed that she understood how to read her sliding scale, it became clear to me that she didn’t know how to find her readings on the traditional sliding scale.

I went home mulling over her problem. How could I help someone who is not good at basic calculations decide how much insulin to take, safely? Days later, I was cooking in my kitchen and needed to convert a 1/4 cup into tablespoons. I went to simple kitchen conversion chart and Viola! I knew my patient needed something just as useful for her insulin.

I made her a cheat sheet. I called it a Shot Sheet™ and gave her a paper copy. 

​

Gamechanger.

​

My patient understood how to use it immediately. She could simply find the number that matched the reading on her glucose meter and take her correlating insulin dose. Her next visit, all of her doses were accurate to her scale. Finally, SUCCESS!

​

At our follow-up visit, seeing her response to the sliding scale she was now able to follow I adjusted her sliding scale. I handed her a new Shot Sheet™. 

No math. No confusion. Just accurate, easy guidance. 

​

After that, we added a fixed meal time insulin dose into the plan. For her, all that meant was a fresh Shot Sheet™  that accounted for a meal.

​

Shot Sheets™ remain a staple in my practice. I have about 10 Shot Sheets ™ I use repeatedly - but I also have the formula to change it on the fly, as needed. 

​

I love the weekly feedback I get - “This is what I've always needed!” and “Oh, now I know how much insulin to take.”

​

If patients have an acute illness and need steroids, I can email them an adjusted sheet for their short term needs.

​

Shot Sheets™ drastically reduces the time spent in each exam room while nearly guaranteeing the patient has a way to safely and properly calculate their insulin dose. I am certain reducing the margin of error has saved lives and improved patient outcomes.

​

Although it may sound silly for those of us with dynamic lives, higher education, and a comprehensive understanding of disease - Shot Sheets™ are a win-win for the Provider and the Patient. Shot Sheets™ empower people with numeracy, literacy, language barriers, hearing, and learning challenges to easily and effectively use sliding scale insulin. Shot Sheets™ save YOU hours of time explaining things and relieve your concern of correcting ‘corrections.’

​

My hope is Shot Sheets™ will change your practice and help you, the provider, and your patients by making sliding scale insulin simple.