A Blood Glucose Meter comes with the following advantages,

• portable and convenient, yet inexpensive.

• short testing time (only 3 – 60 secs depending on different models).

• can be a life saver during an emergency.

However, a Blood Glucose Meter does come with the following disadvantages too,

• accuracy is a concern as it can be false positive to hypoglycemia (low blood glucose). Immediate measurement to hypoglycemia may seem higher than hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) which makes it less useful.

• some models cannot perform test without light.

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Certain newer models of Blood Glucose Meter like Optium Xceed by Abbott Diabetes Care, comes with back-light functions which comes in handy when you are in cinema, or if you not want to wake up your partner in the middle of the night.

There are certain features of a Blood Glucose Meter which are important for you to know so that you understand how it works and know how to read the results too.

As different brands and models of Blood Glucose Meter have their own features, you should hence check your own user manual or product manufacturer to find out more.

1. Measurement Range Of Different Meter Models

Most Blood Glucose Meters come with a broad range of measurement values from as low as 0 to as high as 600 mg/dL. However, as the range is different among models, you should interpret individual meters’ low and high values carefully.

2. Calibration For Meters

As time passes, your glucose readings might not be linear over the entire range. If you happen to come across very high or very low values which you suspect could be due to inaccuracy, you should perform a calibration for your meter. Kindly refer to your manufacturer’s user manual for instructions.

3. Cleaning And Maintenance

To clean and maintain a good meter, you should first check with your manufacturer on the correct method to do so. Refer to your manufacturer’s website if you are not able to contact them easily. Below are some general tips when it comes to cleaning a meter.

Dos:

• Clean your meter with only soap and water using dampened soft cloth.
• Clean your meter regularly to maintain its accuracy.

Don’ts:

• Avoid using glass or abrasive cleaners, cleansers with ammonia, or alcohols.
• Avoid damaging the sensitive parts of the meter.

If you have an important feature or useful tip on Blood Glucose Meter to share, kindly drop a comment below for us.

A Blood Glucose Meter is the key element of home blood glucose monitoring (HBGM) commonly used by diabetic (hyperglycemia) patients or patients low in blood glucose (hypoglycemia). As a Blood Glucose Meter is designed to be convenient and portable, it is typically purchased by patients’ family members or their closed ones to be used in their residential homes, or used by health organizations in their mobile blood testing or health checkup stations for simple blood test.

People should not use a Blood Glucose Meter for the purpose of comprehensive blood test eg. checking of full blood count or platelet count in your blood (haematology). Instead, you should visit your nearby medical clinic or hospital since they have the right facilities there.

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It is recommended that all families with elders should keep a Blood Glucose Meter in their first-aid box at home regardless of whether they are ill or not, since it is affordable in cost and can be a life saver when there is an emergency.

Related Articles :

- What Are The Purpose Of A Blood Glucose Meter?

- How To Perform A Blood Glucose Test Using A Blood Glucose Meter?

In previous article which describes what is a GlucoWatch (a wrist watch version of Blood Glucose Meter), we share with you about this new painless technology of blood glucose testing where fluid is extracted through the human skin and glucose level in the fluid is measured using the device (GlucoWatch) to determine your blood sugar level.

There are some important facts which are worth mentioning for your knowledge before getting one.

1. In March 2001, FDA (U.S. Food Drug And Food Administration) has approved the use of GlucoWatch as a prescription device for adults with diabetes. See info.
2. In August 2002, FDA has approved the use of GlucoWatch for use by children and adolescents with diabetes. See info.
3. A new calibration of the device through the use of a finger-stick blood glucose test is required every 13 hours when a new skin pad is replaced to ensure accuracy of the meter results.
4. Individual GlucoWatch readings should not be used to determine and make changes to the insulin dosage. It is recommended that you should take several readings over time and confirm it with a finger stick blood glucose test.
5. Readings might be skipped when patients perspire especially during exercise or in an extremely hot humid environment.
6. Patients may develop rashes on the skin that come directly in contact with the watch. However, this may not apply to every patient as different people has different skin condition.

Overall, a GlucoWatch is a valuable tool you can add on to your list of Blood Glucose Meters.

Performing a blood glucose test can be rather straightforward but not all the tests work the same way with different Blood Glucose Meters. The steps in this article can only serve as general guide to help you carry out a proper blood glucose test. For more in-depth explanation and live demonstration, you should seek assistance from a certified diabetes educator. He/she should watch you test your own glucose to make sure that you really understand how to operate the meter correctly.

Step By Step To Perform A Blood Glucose Test :

1. Prepare and get everything ready before you begin. Be sure that you know how to understand the meter’s reading.

• Blood Glucose Meter
• Disposable Test Strip
• Lancet Device And Disposable Lancet
  
• Cleaning Alcohol
• Drying Cloth

Important : Do not re-use any of the disposable items above for safety purposes.

2. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water and dry your hands completely.

3. Clean the fingertip affected area (the part which you are going to work on) with alcohol and dry it completely.

4. Prick the tip of your finger with a lancet device. Hold down your hand and hold your finger until you see a small drop of blood appears. Quickly catch the blood with the test strip.

5. Insert the test strip (the edge with the blood) into the meter and wait for the test result to appear (usually a beeping sound will be heard).

6. Record the test result.

7. Dispose away the used test strip and lancet.

It is important that you should read the user manual thoroughly that comes with the meter so that you know how to use it correctly. You should know how to read the meter’s reading and able to interpret any error code which might be displayed on it.

How often do you use your meter depends on the recommendation of your health care provider. Diabetes patients are strongly encouraged to use it more so that your blood glucose level can be monitored closely.