- With Mayo Clinic diabetes educators
Nancy Klobassa Davidson, R.N., and Peggy Moreland, R.N.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Nancy Klobassa Davidson, R.N., and Peggy Moreland, R.N.
Nancy Klobassa Davidson and Peggy Moreland
Nancy Klobassa Davidson, R.N., B.S.N, C.D.E
Nancy Klobassa Davidson is a registered nurse who has worked in diabetes education for 17 years. She is a certified diabetes educator (C.D.E.) and is currently in graduate school working on a Master of Science in nursing (M.S.N.) and health care education.Nancy works with adults who have type 1, type 2 and other forms of diabetes. Nancy is coordinator of the Diabetes Unit's intensive insulin therapy program within the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, & Nutrition at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Nancy has worked extensively with insulin pump therapy and continuous interstitial glucose sensing.
Peggy Moreland, R.N., M.S.N.
Peggy Moreland is a certified diabetes educator (C.D.E.) in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, & Nutrition at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.Peggy graduated with a Master of Science in Nursing and Health Care Education from the University of Phoenix and is a member of the American Association of Diabetes Educators and the American Diabetes Association. A certified diabetes educator (C.D.E.), Peggy enjoys working with patients to set and achieve diabetes self-management goals.
Latest entries
- Still pricking your finger for blood glucose monitoring?
May 24, 2013
- Diabetes etiquette: When you don't have diabetes
May 2, 2013
- Coping with diabetes: Helping your loved one
April 24, 2013
- Types of diabetes
March 16, 2013
- Taking diabetes drugs
Feb. 27, 2013
Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Living with diabetes blog
-
June 15, 2012
Testing blood sugar: First or second drop?
By Nancy Klobassa Davidson, R.N., and Peggy Moreland, R.N.
When testing your blood sugar, do you use the first drop of blood or the second?
We teach patients to wash their hands with soap and water, dry them, and then test their blood glucose using the first drop. We advise that if the person isn't able to wash his or her hands with soap and water, then the second drop may be used. However, I've heard some patients tell me that they were instructed to use the second drop of blood, even after washing hands with soap and water.
Monitoring your blood sugar is essential to managing diabetes and helps you to make decisions related to diet, exercise and medication. So, what is the "right way" to test your blood glucose?
A February 2011 article in the American Diabetes Association's journal, "Diabetes Care," details a study that investigated whether capillary glucose concentrations, as measured in the first and second drops of blood, differed by 10 percent or more compared with a control capillary glucose concentration in the following situations:
- Without washing hands
- After handling fruit
- After washing the fruit-exposed fingers
- During the application of different amounts of external pressure around the finger (squeezing).
The conclusion of this study, which included 123 participants, is: "The first drop of blood can be used for self-monitored glucose testing, but only after washing hands. If washing hands is not possible and they are not visibly soiled or exposed to a sugar-containing product, it is acceptable to use the second drop of blood after wiping away the first drop." The study also found that external pressure (or squeezing) of the finger can lead to unreliable readings, as well.
You can find the article at: http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2011/02/01/dc10-1694
All in all an interesting study. What are your thoughts?
Peggy
15 comments posted
Share on:
15 comments posted