Make sure your client is comfortably sitting or lying in bed in the semi-Fowler position (Fig. 3a). If they’re in bed, lock the wheels, raise it to a height that’s comfortable to work with, and lower the side rails.
Take a new reagent strip and place it in the glucometer to activate it (Fig. 3b). Make sure that the reagent strip is not expired or discolored and that it’s the right kind of strip for the glucometer.
Next, prepare the lancet device, which could be one-use or multi-use. In general, you’ll need to remove the cap of the device and adjust the depth of the puncture depending on the thickness of the client’s skin (Fig. 3c).
Avoid the fingertips because they usually have thicker skin. Also, avoid any calloused or bruised areas and puncture sites of previous tests.
1. Warm up the finger with a warm washcloth and hold it below the client’s heart level to increase blood flow to the finger (Fig. 4).
2. Clean the area with an antiseptic swab, and let it dry.
3. Place the tip of the lancet device on the chosen site, hold it steady, and press the button to release the lancet and puncture the skin. After you remove the device, you should see a drop of blood-forming. Press gently on the skin next to the puncture site to squeeze out more blood if you need to.
4. Take the glucometer with a strip and place the tip of the strip to the blood drop. The blood should be automatically drawn in and the glucometer will inform you when enough sample is collected (Fig. 5).
5. While you wait for the results to appear on the screen, you should put a cotton ball or gauze square on the punctured site and keep applying pressure until the bleeding stops.
6. Read the result and share it with the client.
7. After you’re done, turn off the glucometer; discard the strip, cotton or gauze, and gloves; and throw away the lancet in the sharps container. Return the other equipment for proper storage.
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