When Should I Replace My Glucose Meter
This depends on the glucometer you buy, but Diabetes Forecast says that, “It may be time to replace or upgrade your meter to a newer model if its older than five years and you can get one with a lower monthly cost, increased accuracy, and with features such as a smartphone app.”
Generally speaking, modern glucose meters have better functionality, provide faster readings, and dont require coding when you open a new vial of test strips. This will make your life easier, and ensure that whichever of the best glucose meters you choose, it fits around your lifestyle.
Best Glucose Meter For Fast Results
The Bluetooth-enabled Accu-Chek Guide Glucometer from Roche Diabetes is designed to be very simple to use for beginners upwards, with a clear display showing reading results in four seconds. According to the company, 95% of measured glucose results shall fall within ±10 mg/dL of lab reference value for blood glucose concentrations < 100 mg/dL and within 10% for blood glucose concentrations 100 mg/dL.
There are around 370 Accu-Chek Guide reviews on Amazon, averaging 4.6 out of 5 stars, with 89% of those being 4 stars and above. Positive user reviews focus around how simple the glucometer is to use, and how it is almost pain-free, thanks to the included FastClix lancing device. Some critical reviews mention issues with pairing the meter, while others said early packaging was misleading, as it suggested strips were included when they have to be purchased separately.
Theres also a test strip eject button on the right-hand side of the glucose meter to aid usability and accuracy. And because the compatible test strips are quite light and small, this simple eject function is necessary so that you dont have to fumble around. The anti-spill test strip storage pack is a nice touch – no more spilling strips when you take one out.
- Read our Accu-Check Guide review
What Does This Mean For You
In meters, readings greater than 4.2 mmol/l, must have an accuracy of +-15 per cent for 99 per cent of readings.
However, lets translate this to real life with a couple of examples:
This also suggests that in the same blood drop if you used two different meters, readings may differ by up to 30 per cent. Many blood glucose meters have much better accuracy than this minimum standard, and therefore are accurate enough for you to base your decisions.
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Best Glucose Meter For Small Blood Samples
Analyzing data from past blood sugar readings could help you spot potential trends, and Dario is one of the best glucose meters for doing just that. The no-coding Dario LC Blood Glucose Monitoring System works with a companion app and automatically records results in-app, saving you the hassle of inputting data.
The Dario LC Blood Glucose System has over 2,900 reviews on Amazon, with an average rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars, while the products listing on Best Buy has 19 reviews , also scoring an average of 4.3 out of 5. The majority of reviews are positive, praising the meters compact size, ease of use, and large display. The minority of critical reviews focus on accuracy of results after a few weeks of use, though Dario says that 95% of measurements are within ±15% of the medical laboratory values.
The Dario LC Blood Glucose Monitoring System is also designed to provide analysis of your readings, and you can opt to share data with your doctor or healthcare professional as needed.
This glucometer is small and lightweight, which is essential if youre carrying it with you throughout the day. You dont have to fiddle around with batteries or charging cables either, as it connects directly to your phone via its charging port. The device tracks a variety of metrics including carb intake, exercise and medication.
- Read our Dario LC Blood Glucose System review
Best For Home: Auvon Ds
Courtesy of Amazon
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Does not include control solution
When youre testing from the comfort of your own home, its easier to get a little bit more high tech with your monitoring system. This glucometer from AUVON utilizes cutting-edge test trips that consistently surpass international accuracy standards. The strips are produced using an automatic carbon printing technique, which ensures that they remain both stable and precise.
The lancet device used to retrieve your blood sample is also said to be less painful than others, which may help you better stick to your testing regimen. The monitor itself fits comfortably in the palm of your hand, is easy to read, and stores continuous 7-, 14-, and 30-day average results.
This kit comes with the AUVON DS-W blood glucose monitor, one battery, 150 blood test strips, 25 lancets, one lancing device, a meter use guide, and a test strip user guide. It does not include a control solution.
Result Speed: N/A | Included in Kit: Monitor, 150 test strips, lancing device, lancets, batteries, carrying bag
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The Importance Of A Good Blood Glucose Meter
Its important to make sure that you use a good blood glucose or blood sugar meter. Roughly 1 in 10 people throughout the US will struggle with diabetes. That number is likely to rise according to experts. With a high-quality blood sugar metering system, youll be able to help them improve their quality of life and overall health.
Questions To Ask Your Doctor
When visiting your doctor, you might keep these questions in mind to ask during your appointment.
- What is my target blood sugar range?
- How often should I check my blood sugar?
- What do these numbers mean?
- Are there patterns that show I need to change my diabetes treatment?
- What changes need to be made to my diabetes care plan?
If you have other questions about your numbers or your ability to manage your diabetes, make sure to work closely with your doctor or health care team.
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Best Glucose Meter For Seniors
The Care Touch glucometer is relatively inexpensive compared to others, and thats because it opts for a basic design with little in the way of fancy frills. But that means its also simple to use, and is ideal for seniors experiencing sight issues as the display is large, uncluttered, and uses big numbers for at-a-glance readings.
Speaking of fast, the Care Touch Blood Glucose Monitoring System delivers a result in five seconds, which is on par with some of the more premium blood sugar monitors.
As an older model, its no surprise to see that the Care Touch glucometer has over 13,000 user reviews on Amazon, generating an average score of 4.6 out of 5 stars. 90% of those reviews are rated 4 stars and above, and focus on the affordability, ease of use, the large and simple display, and how accurate it is for a cheaper meter. Users also praise how compact the meter is. Critical reviews focus on customer service, battery life, and some accuracy concerns, which are echoed in a Walmart user review .
Although its a cheap glucometer, you can still annotate the readings with information such as pre-meal or post-exercise. Your doctor may recommend that you keep consistent notes when taking readings so that you have extra insight into potential causes for spikes and crashes.
In addition to recommending this glucose meter for seniors, it could be helpful to beginners who dont want to spend a great deal on blood sugar monitoring until they are comfortable with it.
What Is The Most Accurate Blood Glucose Meter That I Can Sync With Health App On Android
Self-monitoring of blood glucose on a regular basis requires an easy to access device which can be easily plugged into your mobile phone and can be carried along even when you are on the go. More important, however, is the accuracy and reliability of the device. With BeatOs CE certified smartphone based mobile glucometer, you will never have to worry about missing your blood glucose readings even when you are travelling. This works well to turn your smartphone into a handy diabetes management tool. It can be directly plugged into the audio jack of the smartphone and as soon as you take a reading, you are directly linked to a personalized diabetes educator who then periodically guide you to different aspects of lifestyle management to live healthy and happy with diabetes. BeatO Smartphone Glucometer lets you create a network through its easy share feature such that your family, Doctor and Personal Diabetes Expert gets an alert when your reading is not in the safe zone.Continue reading > >
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When Should I Test My Blood Sugar With A Glucometer
Always follow your doctor’s recommendations about how often you should test your glucose, as you may need to test your blood sugar levels several times a day to make necessary adjustments to your diet, activity or medication.
According to the CDCs blood sugar management advice , how often you check your blood sugar depends on the type of diabetes you have and if you take any diabetes medicines. Your doctor may also want to check your blood sugar more frequently if you take insulin. Common times to test your blood sugar include:
- When you wake up, before eating or drinking
- Before you eat a meal
- Two hours after eating a meal
- When you go to bed
The Importance Of Meter Accuracy
Accurate readings of your blood glucose are obviously very important because you need to know how much insulin you need or if you need to eat a snack before your blood sugar gets too low or too high. But there are other reasons why meter accuracy is so important.
- You gather reliable data that you can trust to manage your diabetes appropriately and compare past and current numbers to make adjustments to your care plan.
- You can better anticipate lab results when you go for your regular checkups and blood work.
- Know what foods affect your blood sugar and how you can combat any adverse changes in glucose levels
- Accurately dose your insulin or other medications based on accurate test results.
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Best Talking: Prodigy No Coding Blood Glucose Test Strips
Courtesy of Amazon
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No control solution included
If you’re visually impaired, trying to read a glucometer several times a day can feel really frustrating. Fortunately, this monitor can guide you through the testing process and read your results aloud for you. It communicates in four different languagesEnglish, Spanish, French, and Arabic.
Its one of the best glucose monitors in terms of accuracy, so you feel confident in your reading. It doesnt require you to code new test strips each time, either.
This kit includes the Prodigy Autocode blood glucose monitoring system, 100 test strips, an adjustable depth lancing device, 10 twist-top lancets, two batteries, a carrying case, a data logbook, and a user manual. The device itself can store up to 450 readings in its internal memory, and it has a standard USB port that enables you to download your test data to your computer for easier management.
Result Speed: 7 seconds | Included in Kit: 100 test strips, meter, lancing device, lancets, batteries, carrying case
Amount Of Blood In Your Test Strip
Its possible to have too much or not enough blood in the test strip sample area, which can lead to inaccurate results or an error reading.
Accuracy Tip: Your meter should state the required blood sample size, like 0.5 microliters, so you have an understanding of how much blood is needed for testing. Avoid squeezing directly around the lanced area when forming a blood drop. You can also experiment with different size lancets to find one that produces the amount you need.
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Contour Next Diabetes Testing Kit 100 Count
- FRESH & LONG EXPIRATION DATE: All components included in this diabetes testing kit have an expiration date of at least 12 months from the date of purchase.
- FAST & ACCURATE RESULTS: Highly Accurate Meter. Test Results within 5 seconds. Second Chance Sampling with tiny blood sample.
- EASY AND SIMPLE TO USE: Preferred diabetic blood glucose monitoring system for senior patients. No coding required, alarm reminders, saved pre & post-meal glucose level tests of 7, 14, & 30 day averages.
- WHATS INCLUDED IN THE KIT: This Active Forward Diabetes Monitoring Kit includes a Contour NEXT EZ Diabetes Monitor, 100 Contour NEXT Test Strips, 100 Active Forward Lancets , Lancing Device, Manual, Logbook & Carry Case .
- DO NOT USE IF SEAL IS BROKEN: If your kit or any inclusions in your kit arrived open or with its seal broken, contact the customer service number printed on the kit box immediately for assistance.
Issues With The Meter
Just like your test strips can go bad, so can your meter. Just like any other technology, glucose meters can get outdated and even break. Pay attention to the consistency of your readings and if you have any issues with battery life or other things with your meter. Getting a new meter could mean life or death for you.
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How Accurate Are Blood Glucose Meters
If you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, then you know how important it is to check your blood sugar, whether thats with a CGM or the manual BGM . And when you are on one end of the spectrum, or just not convinced by your CGM number, you test with a blood glucose meter, right? But what if your BGM were inaccurate as well? Just how accurate is the quintessential diabetes management tool?
An independent study by the Diabetes Technology Society of 18 popular FDA-approved blood glucose monitoring systems released last month found that only six tested meters recorded BGLs as consistently and dependably as laboratory tests.
The six highest-functioning monitors reported results within 15 percent of laboratory tests taken for comparison 95 percent of the time. The other 12 meters were only on the mark between 71 and 92 percent of the time. While the deviation on the meters was sometimes minor, minor mistakes can eventually lead to big complications.
The study used BGMs bought in retail locations and tested 1,035 people in three different laboratory locations. It was conducted by a team of researchers led by David C. Klonoff, MD, of the Diabetes Research Institute at San Mateo, Calif.-based Mills-Peninsula Medical Center and funded by Abbott Laboratories.
The study was not isolated to people with T1D. Among those who participated in testing the BGMs, 370 people had T1D, while the others had T2D, pre-diabetes, or did not have diabetes at all.
Passing Devices According to the Study
Are Home Glucose Meters Accurate
Home blood glucose meters are considered clinically accurate if the result is within 20% of what a lab test would indicate. For example, a glucose meter result of 100 milligrams per deciliter could vary between 80 mg/dL and 120 mg/dL and still be considered accurate.
All home glucose meters measure whole blood, but newer versions automatically convert the result into plasma results. The instructions that came with your glucose meter should tell you whether your meter is calibrated for whole blood or plasma results. You also can find out by contacting the manufacturer’s customer service.
To measure the accuracy of your meter, take it with you when you have a lab glucose test and check your blood immediately after. To ensure the most accurate results, ask the lab to process your blood sample within 30 minutes.
In 2018, the Food and Drug Administration released updated recommendations for blood glucose meters, including specific guidelines regarding accuracy.
According to the FDA, glucose meter values should be within 15% of results obtained from a lab 95% of the time, and within 20% of lab measurements 99% of the time.
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Libre Sense: A Biosensor For Sports
Theres been a lot of talk of creating CGM systems aimed at non-diabetics, especially athletes. More companies are moving in this direction and turning to the Libre technology developed by Abbott as a basis for their programs.
One of the most visible moves in that direction is with the Libre Sense from Abbott, launched worldwide in September 2020.
This so-called Glucose Sport Biosensor has the same form-factor of the early Libre sensors , its aimed at athletes and fitness-focused folk who may not necessarily have diabetes but want to monitor glucose levels in the context of their health and activity levels.
For ages 16 and older, its not a prescription product and can be purchased over-the-counter. The sensor lasts up to 14 days just like the other Libre sensors, and wearers automatically receive streaming glucose data via Bluetooth every minute and viewed on a compatible mobile app.
Abbotts Medical Affairs Director Jim McCarter explained the use of glucose sensors in sports to DiabetesMine: When someone is early in a workout and theyre exercising at high intensity theyll actually see a rise in glucose. Thats the body responding to the stress of the event. Later in exercise and especially in endurance exercise as glycogen stores are depleted, glucose will begin to lower. And thats especially important in long-distance endurance events.