Technical information

Chapter 6 62
Information for Healthcare Professionals
Healthcare Professionals: Follow the infection control procedures appropriate
for your facility.
Decisions about whether to recommend alternative site testing (AST) should take into account the
motivation and knowledge level of the patient and his or her ability to understand the considerations
relative to diabetes and AST. If you are considering recommending AST for your patients, you need
to understand that there is a potential for a significant difference between fingertip and alternative
site blood glucose test results. The difference in capillary bed concentration and blood perfusion
throughout the body can lead to sample site-to-site differences in glucose results. These
physiological effects vary between individuals and can vary within a single individual based upon
his or her behavior and relative physical condition. Our studies involving alternative site testing of
adults with diabetes show that most persons will find their glucose level changes more quickly in
the fingers’ blood than the alternative sites’ blood. This is especially important when glucose levels
are falling or rising rapidly. If your patient is used to making treatment decisions based upon
fingerstick readings, he or she should consider the delay, or lag-time, affecting the reading
obtained from an alternative site.
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