USING A HOME GLUCOSE METER
At least twenty-eight different home blood glucose meters are available in the market.
All are accurate, but they vary in their features:
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Size of display screen and backlight, which is important if
you have visual problems.
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Step-by-step voice guide and ability to give verbal
results, which is important if you’re visually impaired.
-
Size of blood drop required
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The ease with which blood can be placed on the glucose test
strip that measures the glucose level
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The ability of the system to sense whether the blood sample
is insufficient
-
The need to calibrate each batch of glucose strips being
used by entering a code
- Speed with which you get the results, ranging from five to thirty
seconds
-
The number of glucose values that can be stored in the
memory
-
The ability of the meter to display glucose results
graphically
-
Software to download the data to your
computer
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The ability to flag results with comments about
carbohydrates, insulin doses, or exercise
-
How much cleaning and maintenance is
needed
Glucose meters are relatively inexpensive, ranging from fifty to one hundred dollars each.
Test strips are the major expense, however, costing fifty to seventy-fi ve cents each. Most health insurance
covers the costs of the strips, but the actual amount of coverage will depend on your plan. Medicare, for
example, covers strips for one check a day if you are not on insulin and four checks a day if you are on
insulin. Your doctor can help you get more strips if necessary.
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