Information For Professional Caregivers - Accu-Chek COMPACT PLUS Owner's Booklet

Information for Professional Caregivers

H ealthcare 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 results. The difference in capillary
bed concentration and blood perfusion throughout the body can lead to blood 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.
*Data on file
Chapter 6: Technical Information 93
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