Handwash before fingerprick?

Not always.. In fact, very rarely.. Just depends if I'm in my house or garden or public place.

Aye, always. But not for fear of infection. To get proper results. All sorts of different contamination on your skin can give false results, and not just food, even newspaper print. You should always wash your hands with soap and warm water and completely dry before testing. If you're unable to wash you should wipe away the first drop of blood and use the second to test.

Agree with Garr. The other week I recorded an unexpectedly high reading around 10. Washed my hands and retested (twice), getting results under 6 both times, so I now rinse my hands under the hot tap whenever I can.

I can't remember where, but I have read that under normal circumstances finger pricks don't get infected. Common sense obviously comes into it, and if you've been on a really mucky job, bare handed, basic hygiene should mean you'd expect to wash them.

I have always been told just rinse your hands with water no soap coz most of them contain glycerine a sugar that affects results which is certainly true of antibac soaps or high aclhohol ones or scented or bar soaps just soap in general really

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Yep always wash in hot water first just so I can get a good result and actually I wash my hands automatically when I get home if I have been shopping at the supermarket. Have you seen some of those sticky kids who ride in the trolleys?

Always, I believe it to be most important, no doctor or nurse I know would give an injection without swabbing the area first.
If you don't have access to soap and water carry some small disposable swabs with you, used ones can be disposed of in the same way as the spent strips.

I was told not to use alcohol swabs since they can make the skin harder. They have also been found to be ineffective . When people tested after peeling fruit the sugar from the fruit caused levels to be higher. Even swabbing five times with alcohol didn't result in an accurate test.
The best results were gained by washing hands with tap water.
http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/34/3/596.full.pdf+html
another study concluded that if washing hands, was not possible (in this study they used soap and water) and that hands were not visibly soiled or exposed to a sugar-containing product, that it was acceptable to use the second drop of blood.
http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/34/3/556.full
Personally, I test quite frequently without washing . when I'm out running or walking, it's just not possible. I have only once had a bad reading from contamination with dextrose on my fingers.
It's the same with injections, alcohol may interfere with some of the things that are injected. In France they don't swab before insulin injections, even in hospital but I had a look to see what they said in the UK This document from Scotland, says that there is little evidence for alcohol swabbing for intradermal, subcutaneous or intramuscular injections and that if the site is soiled it should be washed to 'common standards' with soap and water.
http://www.documents.hps.scot.nhs.uk/hai/infection-control/publications/skin-disinfection-review.pdf

I have had type 1 for 42 years and test 4 or 5 times a day and only wash my hands in work or if I've been out in the garden at home. I can't see the point if your hands are clean it doesn't seem to have affected my readings, how many of you out there swab your injection area every time you inject? Not many I bet.

Sometimes I do, sometimes I can't.

BUT, when I do it carefully with soap and warm water, I always wonder about contamination when drying with a towel. If it's used by others, maybe there are food or dirt traces on it?

I got little wipes as a present. I find it very handy
http://www.funkypumpers.com/shop/shop/dia-wipe-pre-test-finger-wipes/

Cupcaake32 said:

I have always been told just rinse your hands with water no soap coz most of them contain glycerine a sugar that affects results which is certainly true of antibac soaps or high aclhohol ones or scented or bar soaps just soap in general really

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More reason to rinse the hands thoroughly after using soap, rinsing hands under water alone doesn't get them hygienically clean.

I use anti-bac soaps at home and work and not had any problems, however as some have pointed out it's not always easy to wash hands when out & about so normally just wipe the first drop of blood onto a tissue and use the second drop to test.

Each to their own, but I prefer to get it right every time than risk geting it wrong just once.

I think to put things into perspective, my DN said there was no need to swab my stomach before injecting because, as she says, the skin is normally 'clean' with it's own microbes and doesn't need any help. I think we can worry too much about hygiene when it comes to finger-pricking other than removing obvious dirt or chemicals including soap that might affect the reading

If you don't wash your hands before testing, the cost of the test is wasted because you can't trust the result and if you can't trust the result, why test at all?

Of all your body parts which pick up foreign bodies, your fingers are tops. Food residues on the table top will leave traces. If you put your hand on the table top, you'll get traces on your hands. Same with door handles, fridge handles, jars, oven door etc etc. Many of these food residues will distort readings but, unless you are a really very bad cook, they won't poison you.

There are still now people who cant be bothered to wash hands after visiting the toilet, several studies have shown foetal bacteria on the most unlikely of surfaces. I have no doubt most if not all the people on this forum are not among these people, but we all touch door handles, supermarket trollies, taxi door handles and a myriad of other public places. Stay safe wash or wipe before testing.