Related Experiment Videos
Forearm blood glucose testing in diabetes mellitus
S Greenhalgh1, S Bradshaw, C M Hall
1Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Pendlebury, Manchester, UK.
Aims:
To compare the accuracy and acceptability of capillary blood glucose testing from the forearm with finger prick testing in diabetic children.
Methods:
Blood glucose measurements from samples taken from the forearm and the finger were compared in an outpatient setting from 52 children and adolescents with diabetes mellitus aged 6-17 years. Opinions on forearm sampling were collected by questionnaire.
Results:
Blood glucose results obtained from forearm sampling correlated well with results from the finger measured by the Yellow Springs Instrument analyser. Error grid analysis showed that 100% of measurements were clinically acceptable; 61% of children reported that forearm testing was painless and 19% that it was less painful than finger prick testing.
Conclusion:
Forearm testing is an acceptable alternative to finger prick testing for blood glucose measurement in children and adolescents.