[Medical Q&A] How do diabetic patients monitor their blood sugar at home?

Planner: Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Wei Junping, Chief Physician, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences

With the development of science and technology, there are more and more ways to measure, monitor and supervise blood sugar, including venous blood collection, peripheral blood collection and interstitial fluid measurement.

The most accurate way to measure blood sugar is by collecting blood from venous blood, but it requires fasting blood to be collected at the hospital. For patients who have been diagnosed with diabetes, daily monitoring is recommended to measure peripheral blood sugar, which can measure blood sugar at different time periods, such as fasting, after meals, before bedtime, etc., and can obtain blood sugar values ​​in a short time.

Interstitial fluid measurement can dynamically measure blood sugar. A probe is buried under the skin for continuous measurement, and a data is obtained every 1 to 5 minutes. A dynamic and continuous blood sugar spectrum can be seen, which is convenient for doctors to analyze the patient's blood sugar status. This method can be continuously monitored for up to 14 days. This method is convenient for measuring blood sugar, but the cost is slightly higher.

Diabetic patients usually use a portable peripheral blood glucose meter to monitor their blood sugar at home. This method is simple and quick. The steps are as follows:

(1) Prepare items, including blood glucose meter, test strips, disposable blood collection device, alcohol cotton pads, and cotton swabs.

(2) Choose any finger, but avoid piercing the middle of the fingertip, because the middle is more sensitive and the pain is stronger; and it is easy to touch objects when picking up things, so the pain will last longer.

(3) Wipe your fingers with an alcohol pad to disinfect them and wait for them to dry.

(4) Insert the test strip into the blood glucose meter and the instrument will automatically turn on. When the blood glucose meter displays a blood drop symbol, prick your finger with a blood sampler and drop blood on the test strip. After a few seconds, the blood glucose data will be displayed on the screen.