Are Finger Prick Blood Tests Accurate?
Finger prick blood tests are an accurate and convenient way to analyse a range of your body’s key biomarkers. They are commonly used to measure blood glucose levels in people with diabetes, but they can be used to measure a wide range of other biomarkers.
In this guide, we explain what finger prick blood tests are, how they work and how they can provide accurate results for a range of tests.
Finger Prick Tests
What are they?
A finger prick test is a simple and convenient way to test a small amount of blood. The test involves pricking your finger with a special device and extracting a sample of blood, which can then be tested for a range of biomarkers.
You do not need to visit your GP surgery or see a healthcare professional, as anyone can perform a finger prick blood test. They can be done almost anywhere, as long as you have access to handwashing facilities to ensure your hands are clean before the test.
Finger prick blood tests can provide instant results. For example, people with diabetes use finger prick tests to check their blood glucose levels throughout the day.
However, finger prick tests can also be used for tests that need to be sent to a laboratory. In this case, the finger prick test will come with one or two small vials which will need to be filled with drops of blood, which can be sent for further analysis.
How do they work?
Finger prick blood tests use a tiny instrument called a lancet to prick your finger. This small puncture causes drops of blood to form on your finger. This blood is known as capillary blood. It is a mix of arterial blood, venous blood, intracellular fluid (the cells that break when a capillary is punctured) and interstitial fluid (the fluid that surrounds our body tissues).
With some finger prick tests, you must place the drop of blood onto a device, like a blood glucose meter. With others, you use a small vial to collect several drops of blood.
Venous Blood Tests
What are they?
Venous blood tests are traditional blood tests. They are always carried out by trained healthcare professionals. Once a sample of blood has been taken, it is sent off to a laboratory for analysis.
Venous blood tests are considered the gold standard of routine laboratory testing as they are able to provide accurate results for an extensive range of biomarkers.
How do they work?
A venous blood test involves a trained healthcare professional inserting a needle into a vein, usually in your arm, to extract blood.
Venous blood tests collect a much larger sample of blood than a finger prick blood test, which allows a wider range of biomarkers to be analysed.
Do Finger Prick Blood Tests Work?
Finger prick blood tests are a safe, convenient, efficient and effective way to analyse blood for a range of biomarkers. It is possible to use finger prick blood tests to check the normal range of glucose levels, but they are also often used on neonates and small children. However, due to the small sample of blood collected, some biomarkers cannot be tested using finger prick blood tests.
How Accurate are Finger Prick Blood Tests?
Finger prick blood tests provide accurate results for a range of biomarkers.
To ensure accurate results, you must follow all instructions carefully and always wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap (never hand sanitiser as this can affect the results) before performing a finger prick blood test.
At Bluecrest Wellness, we provide full body private health checks, which include a wide range of blood tests. Our private laboratory blood tests are efficient and can be made just 20 minutes from your home or work, giving you convenient yet comprehensive insights into your health and wellbeing.
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