Tell Patients to Prick Up Their Ears

Many patients with diabetes have to perform finger sticks—sometimes several times a day—to monitor their glucose levels and adjust medication or insulin dosages. Those who find repeated pricking of the fingertips painful can obtain glucose readings by pricking their earlobe. Earlobe pricks yield very accurate readings and tend to be less painful than finger sticks.
— Gopi Rana-Mukkavilli, MD
   New York