Docfan Academy

A glucose meter measures the sugar in a tiny drop of blood. The strip does the chemistry and the meter reads it. If the strip, the meter or the finger is wrong, the number is wrong, and people may act on that number.

Strips and meters

• Strips match the meter. Each meter works only with the strips made for it. Never mix them.
• Coding. Some meters need a code that matches the strip vial. Check it each time you open a new vial. Many newer meters need no coding, so read the IFU.
• Check the date. Do not use expired strips, or strips that are bent, damaged or wet.

Store strips properly

Strips fear moisture, heat and air. Take one strip out, then close the vial at once, tightly. Keep strips in their own vial, not in a pill box or a bag. Store them at the temperature on the label, away from sun, bathrooms and hot cars. Some strips have a shorter use-by time once the vial is opened, so write the opening date on the vial if the IFU says so.

Test with care

1. Wash hands with soap and water and dry them well. Sugar from fruit or sweets on a finger gives a falsely high number.
2. Use a fresh lancet from a new, sterile pack.
3. Prick the side of the fingertip and do not squeeze hard.
4. Apply the blood as the IFU says, and read the result.
5. Drop the used lancet straight into a sharps container or a strong closed container.

Use control solution to check the meter and strips: when you open a new vial, after a drop, or when results do not fit the person. Check the expiry of the control solution too. A meter used for several patients must be one designed for that, and it must be cleaned and disinfected between patients as the IFU says.