Checking your own blood sugar level is essential in managing your diabetes.
Appropriate decisions regarding changes in your medications, meal plan, and exercise program can be made
only if the results of your blood tests are accurate.
The following suggestions were routinely implemented in the
office of the Medical Director of this website, and should
be feasible for any diabetes program to replicate.
First, we suggest that your technique for doing your blood sugar testing be double-checked with the Diabetes Nurse Educator
every time that you visit your Diabetes Team. Diabetes Nurse
Educators are trained in all of the currently-available methods of self-monitoring
of blood sugar, and probably have all the popular meters available.
Even if you forgot to bring in your own
meter at the time of your visit, they can double-check with you
how well you're doing the testing, using one of their meters of the same model as yours.
Also, we suggest that you bring in your own meter from home at least
once every three months
to check on its accuracy. (It's probably easier to just plan
to bring it
in on every visit.)
When you bring in your meter, several things will be done:
- The proper technique for the use of your meter can be reviewed with you.
- A fingerstick blood sample will be obtained and blood glucose readings will
be checked between your meter and one (or more!) of the office's meters.
(Office meters should be routinely rechecked for accuracy regularly, and
a written log kept of the results.)
- Liquid control solutions are available for all meters. These solutions
can also be used to evaluate your meter's performance.
- Finally, the meter will be cleaned if needed.
The results of the testing should be recorded in your chart, and you should ask for a copy
of the report if you wish. Information in this report will include:
- Date and time of the testing.
- Name of the Diabetes Nurse who did helped you with the testing.
- Indication about the meters used, including whether your blood
was used or a control solution, whether you or the Diabetes Nurse
did the testing, and the expected values of the control solutions, if they were used.
- Any remedial action taken for unexpected results.
One final word of advice about your meter:
Re-read the manual.
You'll probably be surprised to find something that you overlooked the last time you looked!
Also see
Is
My Blood Glucose Meter Accurate?
(What you should know about comparing test results with a lab test or another
meter.) from LifeScan.
Glucose Monitor
By Susan Meadows and Mike Kubic
at
Diabetic Gourmet Magazine
Improving Blood Glucose Monitoring for Diabetes
By Susan Meadows and Mike Kubic
at the US FDA website.
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