A Study of Forearm Versus Finger Stick Glucose Monitoring

New glucose monitoring systems are now being launched into the market that offer the patient the option to test from an alternate site (forearm) with less pain. What is not clearly understood by patients and Health Care Providers is whether glucose measurements taken from the forearm are the same as the measurements taken from the finger. The objective of this study was to determine if results from the forearm are the same as results from the finger in normal use by the diabetic patient over a day. In clinical studies conducted in four physician's offices, patients were asked to measure their glucose from their forearm and finger ten times a day for ten days. The patients for this evaluation used the TheraSense™ FreeStyle™ glucose monitoring system. A total of 190 patients (of which 30% were type 1 and 70% type 2 diabetics) participated in this study. Patients also concluded their participation in this study with a post study questionnaire. A total of 18,036 data points were collected and used for analysi...