Thirdly, always using the second drop of blood after washing the hands with soap and water (5). Furthermore, in one of these recommendations, patients are advised not to squeeze the finger to obtain a drop of blood as this could potentially influence the blood glucose concentration (3).
Squeezing your finger
When you do that, you are getting some interstitial fluid rather than blood. A study shows that this “may lead to unreliable readings." Gently warming the hands ahead of time can help so you don't have squeeze so hard.
After pricking your finger with the lancet, you should need to apply only slight pressure to release blood flow. If you need to apply a lot of pressure to produce a sample, that finger may not be the best testing site for you. Squeezing or milking the finger can contaminate the sample and lead to inaccurate results.
Anywhere from 5 to 13 percent of study participants had a significantly different blood sugar result (versus no squeezing), depending on how much pressure they put on the finger. On average, blood sugar readings were lower when people put pressure on the finger.
If needed, gently squeeze above the site to obtain a large drop of blood. Do not milk or massage the finger because it may introduce excess tissue fluid and hemolyze the specimen.
The middle or ring finger is preferred as having the greatest depth of tissue beneath the skin and hence offering the least chances of injury. The thumb or index finger may be more likely to be calloused or scarred, as well as being much more sensitive, making the procedure more painful.
Finger - Usually the third or fourth finger is preferred in adults and children. The thumb has a pulse and is likely to bleed excessively. The index finger can be calloused or sensitive and the little finger does not have enough tissue to prevent hitting the bone with the lancet.
Wipe away the first droplet of blood with a cotton ball or gauze as indicated. Rationale: The first drop of blood may be contaminated with the alcohol used for disinfection, which may provide an inaccurate result.
If blood sugar testing is always painful for you, it's possible that your lancet is set to hit too hard or too deep. Part of managing diabetes includes adjusting the depth and force of the lancet properly.
It does not matter which finger is used for glucose measurements. External pressure may lead to unreliable readings.
DO NOT puncture the skin more than once with the same lancet, or use a single puncture site more than once, because this can lead to bacterial contamination and infection.
The lancets are only ever used once. Some types of “lancet holders” are designed to be used to test more than one person, while others are meant to be used to test only one person.
Officially, all lancets are single use. Though reusing is a fact of life, and many people do it. People often do it to save money, or if they are running out and won't be able to buy more.
if you monitor yourself at home – a normal target is 4-7mmol/l before eating and under 8.5-9mmol/l two hours after a meal.
Severe acidosis (pH < 6.95) can falsely decrease glucose readings. Patients receiving high flow oxygen can have false low readings with a glucose meter using the glucose oxidase method. High hematocrit, as in neonates, can also cause false low blood glucose readings.
Don't eat high-sugar foods or simple carbs (including refined grains) the morning of your glucose screening. The body breaks these foods down quickly, leading to a spike in blood sugar levels. That means avoiding breakfast favorites like: Orange juice and other fruit juices.
Traces of blood can remain in the end cap and may cause cross infection. This procedure may potentially transmit disease, particularly the virus infections hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV from contaminated equipment, gloves, hands or surfaces. Appropriate infection control procedures should be adopted.
The best finger to get blood from is your ring finger. When performing a finger-prick test, use the side of your ring finger. It is where circulation is at its peak, and you are more likely to collect a complete sample from this one finger.
Change up the location of your finger prick. If you put your hands together, palms touching, you will be able to see the areas of your fingers with fewer nerve-endings. Pricking the sides of your fingers can be less painful because there are fewer nerves there.
The most important thing to remember about wiping after a bowel movement is to do so from front to back. This helps you to avoid urinary tract infections. Avoid scrubbing the sensitive area around your anus, too, because it can spread bacteria into the tiny tears in the skin.
Blood is a biohazard in that it can transmit diseases to those who come into contact with it. The longer you leave blood without cleaning it up, the more likely you or a family member will eventually contact the blood and pick something up.
Recommended finger: the World Health Organisation recommends the middle or ring fingers are used for blood glucose tests (second and third fingers). You may want to avoid using your little finger due to the skin being thin.
Choose any of the middle three fingers because palmar fascia of middle three fingers is limited to hand only(whereas that of thumb and little finger is continuous with that of arm), if infection occurs following puncture it will be limited to the hand only.
Tightly squeezing the area will cut the blood flow and should be avoided. Milking or scooping the site should also be avoided because they could cause hemolysis and contamination with tissue fluid.
The best site for a finger puncture is just off the center of the finger pad. The tip of the finger should be avoided. Make sure to place your finger on a firm surface, like a countertop or kitchen counter, to ensure that you get the proper depth when activating the safety lancet.