Safety Tips
- Do not reuse a lancet.
- When checking a new box of test strips or the meter for accuracy. Be sure the control solution has not expired.
- Wear clean gloves when checking a blood glucose level to avoid touching the person’s blood and to lower the risk of a lancet prick.
- If you get a blood glucose reading above or below the person’s normal range, know what to do. Some persons are able to manage changes in their blood glucose (See the section on Need to Know). Others should notify their doctor or home health nurse immediately.
- Some doctors want a person to regularly fax or call in their blood glucose values so that medicine changes can be made.
- If you find a person with diabetes unconscious, call 911 immediately. If you know the person has lost consciousness in the past from a low blood sugar, check their blood glucose level.