“I Lost My Medications”

A severe earthquake/hurricane has caused devastation to a wide area. Nearly all local infrastructure was damaged, and it will take time to restore function. Several patients arrive days into the deployment to the area. At your medical tent, a pair of patients arrive with complaints of hyperglycemia due to not being able to take their medication and use their insulin, as well as not being able to contact their primary care doctor. One patient is mildly hyperglycemic and can be treated and released. The other patient has developed DKA and must be managed. The patient with DKA is treated with insulin and transferred to a local hospital for ongoing care.