5 Tips for Gentle Blood Sampling

Lancing fingers is a vital part of daily diabetes management. Research shows a significant correlation between lancing pain and a patient's reluctance to perform regular blood glucose testing.1 One factor contributing to greater pain sensation is the improper handling of the lancing device. Lancing correctly with modern Accu-Chek® lancing devices keeps discomfort to a minimum. You can test more comfortably with these five easy steps:  

 

5 Tips for gentle blood sampling
Pain1

 

Ensure hands are clean, warm, and dry: Wash your hands with warm water to increase blood circulation to the fingertips, and dry them thoroughly so excess water doesn’t dilute your blood sample.2

Pain2

 

Keep the skin taut: Press the lancing device firmly against the skin before releasing the trigger. This ensures the lancet penetrates cleanly without needing a deeper, more painful setting.2

Pain3

 

Select a shallow depth setting: Always set the penetration depth as shallow as possible. Start at a low setting and gradually click it up until you find the exact threshold that produces a sufficient drop of blood without striking deeper tissue.3

Pain4

 

Alternate your testing sites: Rotate through different fingers daily to prevent scar tissue or calluses from building up over time.2 

Pain5

 

Additional Comfort Guidelines: 

  • Use a Fresh Lancet Every Time: Today's lancets are engineered to be incredibly thin for comfort. Just a single use can bend, dull, or create microscopic burrs on the metal tip. Reusing lancets increases your risk of infection and makes subsequent finger-sticks noticeably more painful.3
  • Consider Alternate Site Testing (AST) Cautiously: If you and your healthcare professional agree it is right for your treatment plan, you may experience less pain by checking from alternative sites like your palm or forearm.2 However, please note: blood glucose levels in these areas can lag behind your fingertips during rapid changes (such as right after eating, during exercise, or when treating a low blood sugar crash). Stick to your fingertips during these times for absolute accuracy.2
  • Choose Low-Pain Lancing Technology: Selecting a high-quality lancing device drastically reduces testing distress. The Accu-Chek FastClix and Accu-Chek SoftClix systems feature advanced Clixmotion technology.3,4 

This specialized mechanism guides the lancet with precise, linear movement, actively stopping and retracting it in milliseconds without painful side-to-side vibrations or skin tearing. Furthermore, they offer up to 11 customizable depth settings to perfectly match your unique skin type.3,4  

References:

1. Koehler, C., et al. (2006). Impact of Pain on the Frequency of Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose. Presented at the 41st Annual Meeting of the German Diabetes Association (DDG); Leipzig, Germany. (Classic data established that lancing discomfort directly reduces daily monitoring compliance). 2. StatPearls Publishing. (2026). Blood Glucose Monitoring: Best Practices and Clinical Procedures. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).  Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555976/Accessed: June 30, 2026.

2. Roche Diabetes Care Middle East. (2026). Accu-Chek FastClix Lancing Device: 1-Click Action and Clixmotion Technology Specifications. Roche Diabetes Care ME.Available at: https://www.rochediabetescareme.com/products/lancing/fastclix/ Accessed: June 30, 2026.       

3. Roche Diabetes Care. (2025). Accu-Chek SoftClix Lancing System: Precision Comfort Design. Accu-Chek Global.Available at: https://www.accu-chek.com/lancing/softclix-insightsAccessed: June 30, 2026.

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