Imagine the world of financial accounting without a calculator, and now imagine the world of diabetes with glucometers. Sounds strange, isn’t it? The reason is that both these devices are integral to their respective domains. While calculators simplify financial management tasks, blood sugar machines and glucose strips allow people with diabetes to monitor and manage their glucose levels seamlessly. Glucometers not only help people with diabetes realise the foods that cause spikes, the results obtained offer healthcare professionals a broader picture that allows them to design the best medication regimen for their patients.
A glucometer is not a standalone device. It is a set of tools consisting of lancets, lancet holders, and test strips. Each component plays an important role in diabetes management. Nonetheless, test strips are crucial in offering accurate readings due to their complex nature and sensitivity to various handling and environmental factors. Let us understand why it is important to use reliable glucometer strips.
The Foundation of Diabetes Management – Blood Sugar Monitoring with Glucometer Strips
The foundation of diabetes is laid upon several layers of tasks.
- Consistent and persistent blood sugar monitoring.
- Diet management. This is typically designed and supervised by certified dieticians who ensure your food has fewer carbs and higher levels of whole grains, leafy vegetables, oatmeal, etc.
- Medicine (Drugs / Insulin) management.
- Physical and psychological management, which includes exercises and addressing dependency on vices such as smoking and alcohol
However, if the sugar strips are below par low quality, it can throw up incorrect data. This, in turn, will defeat the entire diabetes management regimen.
Reliable Readings for Informed Decisions – Why Accuracy is Non-Negotiable
Here is an important tip for all people with diabetes. Your glucometer device/strip should always offer readings which are 15% or 15 mg/dL (100 being the benchmark) of the laboratory value. Moreover, this percentage needs to be consistent 95% of the time. Accuracy is simply non-negotiable. Incorrect, faulty data will force your doctor to change the direction of the medication/treatment program. This can be catastrophic—in the short and long run. It is, therefore, highly advisable to choose brands that carry the seal of accuracy. Remember, reliable reading allows your healthcare supervisor to design a regimen based on these values.
Health Implications of Inaccurate Readings – Risks and Consequences for People With Diabetes
Inaccurate readings due to faulty blood glucose test strips can have serious short- and long-term repercussions. The reason is your doctor makes a decision based on these values. Inaccurate data provided by the glucometer can change the course of this treatment. This may result in hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia episodes. While the former can typically affect the brain’s functioning, the latter severely affects vital organs (cell damage). Moreover, the long-term risks of inaccurate readings can be fatal because, by the time the error is detected, it can be too late in some cases / chronic diabetes.
Factors Affecting Glucometer Strip Accuracy – What You Need to Consider
You need to understand that the device itself is a one-time purchase. On the other hand, test strips need frequent replenishment, so it is important to choose a trustworthy and compatible brand. You need to consider the following factors while buying or restocking test strips for your diabetes management.
- Always buy strips which are endorsed by an authority affiliated with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, such as the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization or CDSCO. It guarantees reliability/accuracy.
- Remember, your brand should always be easily available (online & offline). Changing test strip brands frequently can be detrimental to fetching accurate readings consistently.
- Environmental conditions play an important role. Hot, damp, and polluted ambience can react with sugar test strips, which are highly sensitive. Therefore, store it in a cool, dry and clean area.
- Calibrating the new test strip box is important. You also need to do a mock test frequently. This will ensure that your diabetes management plan is heading in the right direction.
- Wash your hands before pricking the finger. Make sure you place a decent-sized blood droplet on the strip. Dirt, oil, and insufficient blood can throw up inaccurate results.
The Role of Quality Control in Glucometer Strips – Ensuring Consistency and Precision
This may appear a little overwhelming. Rest assured, it is quite simple. Quality control means discarding test strips which are about to expire, torn, damaged, or soiled. Calibration of test strips is also equally important. Apart from this, make sure you conduct a mock test with the accompanying solution (a single drop will suffice) and then compare it with the chart provided by the manufacturer. You can boost consistency and precision by buying your new stock from the same pharmacy / online store and the same brand. For successful self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), maintaining strict control over the quality of strips is of paramount importance.
Comparing Glucometer Strip Brands – How to Identify Trustworthy Options
Glucometer strips consist of an enzyme, a porous fabric (for quick distribution across the length), gold strips (part of electrical circuitry), etc. Most brands these days exploit the same set of manufacturing technologies and components. What differentiates them is the quality of these materials and components. Unfortunately, their trustworthiness can only be found after using the same. However, apart from this, some of the other factors you should look into to narrow down the most reliable, dependable options are –
- Built quality. Make sure your test strips are less susceptible to environmental elements and frequent exposure.
- Does your test strip brand demand certain parameters for storing? Yes? This puts you in a spot of bother because you may sometimes fail to adhere to their safety parameters.
- Affordability. What is the use of a trustworthy strip which costs a king’s ransom?
Read More: Glucometer Accuracy – How to Ensure Consistent and Reliable Readings
Conclusion –
Even after adhering to the above suggestions and getting the best glucometer strips, comparing the readings with regular lab test results is highly advisable. This not only allows your doctor to maintain or tweak your medication regimen with confidence but also reduces the short and long-term ramifications of faulty test strips synonymous with certain brands.
