How do you check the patient's blood glucose??

[Meltem.Y]

hello,

we're (halic university school of nursing, in turkey) planning a research about the differences between checking blood glucose level techniques. we wonder that which techniques do you use in clinics?

- which solution do you use to clean the area? (alcohol, iodine etc.)

- do you check the first blood sample or do you clean the first sample and take the second? or do you want your patient to clean his/her hand?

thanks,

[chenoaspirit, ASN, RN]

1. cleanse area with alcohol swab

2. Lancet the area.

3. Wipe alcohol and blood off area to ensure proper reading

4. Take sample with glucometer

5. Apply 2x2 and let patient hold pressure if still bleeding.

[XB9S, BSN, MSN, EdD, RN, APN]

Moved to nursing research request forum.

[-MNC_RN-]

I was going to type everything when I realized Chenoasprit already did...

1. cleanse area with alcohol swab

2. Lancet the area.

3. Wipe alcohol and blood off area to ensure proper reading

4. Take sample with glucometer

5. Apply 2x2 and let patient hold pressure if still bleeding.

[Meltem.Y]

Thanks for your answers, but i couldn't figure out what do you mean with Applying 2x2?

And to the other forum users!!! I need more answers

[-MNC_RN-]

A 2x2 is a gauze sponge, approximately 4 cm x 4 cm. (2 inches x 2 inches here in the US.)

[Meltem.Y]

I need more posts here, we're going to plan the research with your helps :)

[corgimomRN2b]

As students, we have been told NOT to use alcohol to clean the finger of choice as alcohol can give a false (+) reading.

[Melinurse]

- which solution do you use to clean the area? (alcohol, iodine etc.)

we are told just to have them wash with soap and water and towel dry. alcohol can give a wrong result.

- do you check the first blood sample or do you clean the first sample and take the second? or do you want your patient to clean his/her hand?

we always clean the first drop of blood and take the second. then we cleanse the site and apply a band-aid or a 2x2 gauze if bleeding.

[MollyMel]

- which solution do you use to clean the area? (alcohol, iodine etc.)

we (my school and the hospitals we have clinicals at) use alcohol, but we make sure it dries fully before we do the test or it will give a false (low) reading. (unfortunately i know from experience, nursing 101).

- do you check the first blood sample or do you clean the first sample and take the second? or do you want your patient to clean his/her hand?

we were taught to clean off the first drop and use the second drop. obviously most of the nurses don't since pt's always ask why i am doing that.

in truth, sometimes if it has been a chore to get that first drop out and i am worried about getting enough blood for a sample i will just use the initial drop to avoid squeezing the pt's finger too much (mostly with very elderly pt's with poor circulationa and callused fingers).

generally we do exactly as chenoaspirit and sharrie said:

1. cleanse area with alcohol swab

2. lancet the area.

3. wipe alcohol and blood off area to ensure proper reading

4. take sample with glucometer

5. apply 2x2 and let patient hold pressure if still bleeding.

we also do not cleanse the site with alcohol after as our in-service edcation said alcohol will just increase bleeding. (vasodilation?)

[NurseKatie08, MSN]

I do the following:

Wipe the finger with alcohol, allow it to dry

Lancet the finger

Clean the first sample off with a 2x2

Apply the second sample to the test strip.

However, as I work on a rehab unit, I do a lot of diabetic teaching, so typically my patients do their fingersticks on their own with supervision.

[cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN]

In the almost 15 years of doing FSBG I have never seen anybody not use alcohol to clean the site. And when I have to do a lab the BS always correlates with the lab value.

That being said, I do what the others do, clean, swab the first drop of blood, take the sample, hold a cotton ball to site while I await the results.