Technical information

Chapter 6: Technical Information
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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 AST 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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