A person with diabetes uses a home blood sugar (glucose) test to
measure the level of glucose in his or her blood. The test can be done on a
daily basis at home or anywhere, using a small portable machine (blood glucose
meter).
A home blood sugar test involves pricking the skin (usually the side of a finger) with a small
needle (lancet) to collect a drop of blood and placing the blood on a special test
strip, which is checked by a blood glucose meter. The blood
glucose meter gives the results of a blood sugar test right away. The results are fairly accurate for the level of glucose
in the blood at the time that the test is done.
Testing blood sugar at home is often called home blood sugar
monitoring or self-testing.