Blood Glucose Measurement

Subject summary

Blood glucose monitoring is a common procedure performed on wards, especially for diabetics who will be used to doing this themselves. However, it is also a procedure used in A & E for someone who is unconscious for no known reason.

  1. Ensure you have all necessary equipment for the procedure:

    • gloves
    • an alcohol wipe
    • a glucose monitor
    • test strips
    • spring loaded lancet
    • cotton wool
    1. Blood glucose measurement equipment
      Blood glucose measurement equipment

  2. Explain the procedure to the patient, as mentioned before, they may be used to this procedure but make sure of this.

  3. Turn on the glucose monitor and ensure that it has been calibrated. If not, insert the calibration strip and allow it to calibrate.

  4. Clean the tip of one of their fingers with the alcohol wipe and allow it to dry. Any sugar on the patient’s finger from a sweet will give a false reading.

    1. Clean finger tip
      Clean finger tip

  5. Prepare the test strip, ensuring that it is still in date and load it into the glucose monitor.

    1. Prepare the test strip
      Prepare the test strip

  6. Prick the side of the finger with the lancet and squeeze the finger. Wipe away the first drop and squeeze the finger again to form another drop. Place this drop on the test strip so that it covers the strip entirely.

    1. Prick the side of the finger
      Prick the side of the finger
    2. Place drop on the test strip
      Place drop on the test strip

  7. Give the patient the cotton wool to stop the bleeding and record the reading.