Information For Professional Caregivers - Accu-Chek Compact Plus Owner's Booklet

Information for Professional Caregivers

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Healthcare Professionals: Follow the infection control procedures appropriate for your
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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.
Chapter 6: Technical Information 85
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