Blood Glucose Measurement

Blood glucose measurement is a procedure performed by most people with diabetes to keep track of their blood glucose.

The equipment needed typically involve a lancing device, blood glucose meter, and test strips.

The basic steps of the procedure are:

1. Wash your hands with warm water and soap
2. Switch on the blood glucose meter and insert a new test strip according to the user's manual of the device. Some meters switch on automatically when a new test strip is inserted.
3. Choose a finger. Try to rotate fingers and use the side of the fingertip as this region is less sensitive than the pads.
4. Prepare the lancing device with a fresh lancet according to the user's manual of the device.
5. Lance your finger to obtain a drop of blood.
6. Hold the test strip inserted into the blood glucose meter to the drop so that it fills with enough blood. Most meters beep when enough blood is absorbed.
7. Observe your test result.
8. Discard the test strip and the lancet properly.
9. Keep track of your result in a notebook or an app.

Figure 1: Pricking a finger before measuring blood glucose