Blood Glucose Monitoring at Home: Supporting Safe Diabetes Care

Blood Glucose Monitoring Equipment

Monitoring blood glucose requires a few simple pieces of equipment:

• Blood glucose meter
• Lancet device with sterile lancets
• Blood glucose monitoring test strips.

(Diabetes Australia 2025a)

When Should Blood Glucose Levels be Monitored?

 The timing and frequency of blood glucose monitoring should always be determined by an appropriately qualified medical practitioner, based on an individual’s diabetes management plan. 

Depending on the circumstances, blood glucose levels may need to be checked at certain times, such as:

• Before breakfast
• Before lunch or dinner
• Two hours after a meal
• Before going to bed
• Before exercise
• When feeling unwell.

(Diabetes Australia 2025a)

How to Monitor Blood Glucose Levels

Blood glucose level monitoring is a simple procedure that can usually be completed within a few minutes. The process generally involves the following steps:

1. Wash hands thoroughly in warm, soapy water (do not use hand sanitiser) and dry them completely (to remove contaminants).
2. Perform hand hygiene and put on gloves.
3. Choose the testing site, usually the side of the middle or ring fingertip.
4. Insert the blood glucose test strip into the blood glucose meter.
5. Use a sterile lancet to prick the skin at the chosen testing site and obtain a small drop of blood.
6. Wipe away the first drop of blood with a clean tissue or gauze, as it may contain other fluids that will contaminate the sample.
7. Add a small drop of blood onto the blood glucose checking strip.
8. Put the glucometer down and apply a clean tissue or gauze to the puncture site, applying pressure to manage the bleeding if required.
9. Read the result displayed on the blood glucose meter in millimoles per litre of blood (mmol/L).
10. Immediately and safely dispose of the lancet in an approved sharps container.
11. Remove gloves and perform hand hygiene.

(Diabetes Australia 2022a; Mathew et al. 2023)

Blood Glucose Targets

After testing, compare the blood glucose reading with the target range recommended by your healthcare team.

Note: The following targets are provided as a general guide only.

(Royal Australian College of General Practitioners [RACGP] 2024; National Diabetes Services Scheme [NDSS] 2021) 

Document these readings and report to the appropriate clinical care staff if they are outside the target ranges.

When to Escalate Care

 Changes in blood glucose levels can sometimes indicate a person’s health is deteriorating. Early recognition of the signs and symptoms of low or high blood glucose is important. The following symptoms require escalation of care to your urgent response clinical support team.

A blood glucose level of 4.0 mmol/L or below may indicate low blood glucose (hypoglycaemia) (NDSS, 2021). Signs and symptoms can include:

• Weakness, trembling or shaking
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Sweating
• Headache
• Hunger
• Irritability or aggression
• Difficulty concentrating
• Numbness or tingling near the fingers, face or lips
• Anxiety or fear
• Slurred speech
• Confusion
• Reduced coordination
• Reduced consciousness or loss of consciousness
• Seizures
• Sleeping before meals (in older people)
• Cognitive and behavioural changes (in older people)
• Falls (in older people).

(Victorian Department of Health 2023)

Blood glucose levels that remain too high (hyperglycaemia) also require medical review. Signs and symptoms can include:

• Excessive thirst
• Passing frequent, large volumes of urination
• Fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Infection
• Unplanned weight loss

(Diabetes Australia 2022b)

Need Support Managing Diabetes at Home?

 Managing diabetes can feel overwhelming at times, but you don’t have to do it alone. 

Right at Home’s experienced nurses provide personalised in-home diabetes support, including blood glucose monitoring, medication management, diabetes education and ongoing clinical care. Working in partnership with your GP and healthcare team, we help older Australians manage diabetes safely while maintaining their independence and quality of life at home. 

Whether you need occasional nursing visits or ongoing support, we’re here to help. Contact your local Right at Home office to learn more about our in-home nursing and diabetes support services.

Source: This article is based on Blood Glucose Monitoring in Home Care by Ausmed and is republished with permission.

References

Ausmed 2025. Blood Glucose Monitoring in Home Care. https://www.ausmed.com/learn/articles/blood-glucose-monitoring

Diabetes Australia 2022a, Diabetes Quick Guides: Monitoring, Diabetes Australia. https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/220145-Diabetes-Quick-Guides_monitoring.pdf

Diabetes Australia 2022b, Hyperglycaemia – Symptoms, Risks and Management, Diabetes Australia. https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/blog/hyperglycaemia/

Diabetes Australia 2025a, Blood Glucose Monitoring, Diabetes Australia. https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/managing-diabetes/blood-glucose-monitoring/

Mathew TK, Zubair M, & Tadi P 2023, Blood Glucose Monitoring, StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555976/

National Diabetes Services Scheme 2021, Blood Glucose Monitoring Fact Sheet, NDDS. https://www.ndss.com.au/managing-diabetes/blood-glucose-monitoring/

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) 2024, Management of Type 2 Diabetes: A Handbook for General Practice, RACGP. https://www.racgp.org.au/clinical-resources/clinical-guidelines/key-racgp-guidelines/view-all-racgp-guidelines/management-of-type-2-diabetes/introduction

Victoria Department of Health 2023, Hypoglycaemia: Standardised Care Process, Victoria State Government. https://www.health.vic.gov.au/residential-aged-care/standardised-care-processes

This information is general in nature and does not constitute medical, legal or financial advice. Please seek appropriate professional advice for your individual circumstances. Services are subject to availability and individual eligibility, including applicable funding criteria. Any examples or case studies are illustrative only. Individual experiences and outcomes may vary. Services are delivered by independently owned and operated franchisees under a franchise agreement with Homecare Group Pty Ltd. Experiences may vary by location. To the extent permitted by law, we exclude liability for reliance on this information. Nothing in this material excludes or limits your rights under Australian Consumer Law.

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