How to be sure of reasonably accurate readings?

[crackerjackie]

I?ve been using a Boots self-testing meter with FreeStyle Optium test strips to test myself a bit and an elderly relative a lot. Both of us have cut down sugar and refined carbs and just recently I?ve been getting noticeably better readings for both of us. Great. But then it occurred to me in retrospect that I think the readings improved when I bought a new box of test strips, so I started wondering about the reliability of any reading taken at home.

Abbott Diabetes Care Ltd, who make the test strips, offer Control Solutions to test the strips ? and presumably the meter at the same time; but I see on their information leaflet that the range of results to expect from any one such solution is so big that the test seems to me pretty meaningless. (The ?Lo? solution can give a result of 1.7 ? 3.4 mmol/L; the ?Mid? solution can give a range of 3.8 ? 6.9 mmol/L; the ?Hi? one anything between 12 and 20.3 mmol/L). When I rang the customer support line the agent assured me that the test strips are accurate to within 15%. If I?m supposed to take his word for that why offer these vague Control Solutions at all? And why not put the 15% claim in writing on the information leaflet or box? He didn?t seem able to answer this. It all seems kind of confused, unprofessional and unreliable to me and I?m wondering what the rest of you do to assure accuracy. A glance at customer reviews of meters offered on Amazon suggests to me that inaccuracy is a common problem.

Is there a brand of meter and test strip that I can rely on? I had a look at the link to information about meters offered in Maggie Davy?s Letter but it doesn?t give the information I want. I want a recommendation for a home test kit I can trust. Or perhaps you have to buy three different meters? But that would mean SO MANY pin-pricks if I?m going to test,test,test as recommended. What do the rest of you do to be sure of accuracy?

 

[AlisonM]

As I understand it, older meters required calibrating from time to time in order to ensure accurate readings, hence the solution. Newer ones, don't seem to need this, but the option is still there if you're having doubts or getting odd readings/error messages.

I use an Abbott's Freestyle Insulinx as my main meter and a Bayer Contour Next USB as my backup. Neither one has been calibrated but I'm getting readings from both that are always within 0.2 mmol/l of each other.

If you have a friend handy that is also testing, you might 'borrow' their meter for a trial and see if both fall within the .2 mmol/l tolerance. If they do, then you can trust the results of your own meter.

 

[Northerner]

Is there a brand of meter and test strip that I can rely on? I had a look at the link to information about meters offered in Maggie Davy?s Letter but it doesn?t give the information I want. I want a recommendation for a home test kit I can trust. Or perhaps you have to buy three different meters? But that would mean SO MANY pin-pricks if I?m going to test,test,test as recommended. What do the rest of you do to be sure of accuracy?

I wouldn't worry about the control solution aspect. All meters are accurate within 10% either above or below, for around 95-98% of all tests, so there is very little need, if any, to change meters or compare readings between them. In fact, you would find that readings may differ between meters even if you use the same blood drop - and will probably also differ slightly if you test using the same finger and the same meter! It's just something you have to accept and trust, unless the reading shown is completely at odds with what you might be expecting. The meter you have is a very commonly used and reliable one, so don't feel that it might be sub-standard. 🙂

What sort of readings are you getting, and how much lower are the readings compared to the previous set of strips? Do you know how close the previous strips were to expiry?

 

[trophywench]

The fact is, they are only required by the people who make the standards for electronic glucometers, to manufacture the devices to within 20% either way. So they all meet that basic standard, or at least they did when the body that decrees such things, tested them.

The fact that Abbott are assuring people theirs are within 15% is actually a bonus ! although people often observe that theirs is pretty much more accurate than that.

The way you can find out is when you go for a blood test, ask to have 'just a Blood Glucose' test added to the list of tests (not an HbA1c which is what they normally do) and grabbing a drop of veinous blood when she takes the needle out, straight onto a test strip already inserted in your meter and ready to go - record that reading and compare it to the lab result when it comes back.

You can't even compare meter readings with the readings from a Constant Blood Glucose Monitor - because those test interstitial fluid, and are then adjusted to change the reading to as if it had been blood. However, when you are on a CGMS, you have to calibrate the machine 4 times every 24 hours by doing blood tests on your own meter, the one I had showed these as X's whereas the CGMS reading printed out as a wavy line on a graph - over a whole week all the Xs bar the odd one or two were smack on the line - so I knew my meter was pretty darn accurate.

 

[Vicsetter]

As I understand it, older meters required calibrating from time to time in order to ensure accurate readings, hence the solution. Newer ones, don't seem to need this, but the option is still there if you're having doubts or getting odd readings/error messages.

I use an Abbott's Freestyle Insulinx as my main meter and a Bayer Contour Next USB as my backup. Neither one has been calibrated but I'm getting readings from both that are always within 0.2 mmol/l of each other.

If you have a friend handy that is also testing, you might 'borrow' their meter for a trial and see if both fall within the .2 mmol/l tolerance. If they do, then you can trust the results of your own meter.

I think you misunderstand what is going on here. The control solution is to test to see if a) the meter is working correctly and b) the test strips are working ok. There is no way to calibrate a meter.

Not sure you will gain anything by using someone else meter, apart from mucking up their averages! Unless your meter is not working then you should get similar readings (within the tolerances quoted). As for .2mmol/l tolerance you must be in a minority, most people complain about the readings from using 2 meters.

 

[Vicsetter]

I?ve been using a Boots self-testing meter with FreeStyle Optium test strips to test myself a bit and an elderly relative a lot. Both of us have cut down sugar and refined carbs and just recently I?ve been getting noticeably better readings for both of us. Great. But then it occurred to me in retrospect that I think the readings improved when I bought a new box of test strips, so I started wondering about the reliability of any reading taken at home.

Abbott Diabetes Care Ltd, who make the test strips, offer Control Solutions to test the strips ? and presumably the meter at the same time; but I see on their information leaflet that the range of results to expect from any one such solution is so big that the test seems to me pretty meaningless. (The ?Lo? solution can give a result of 1.7 ? 3.4 mmol/L; the ?Mid? solution can give a range of 3.8 ? 6.9 mmol/L; the ?Hi? one anything between 12 and 20.3 mmol/L). When I rang the customer support line the agent assured me that the test strips are accurate to within 15%. If I?m supposed to take his word for that why offer these vague Control Solutions at all? And why not put the 15% claim in writing on the information leaflet or box? He didn?t seem able to answer this. It all seems kind of confused, unprofessional and unreliable to me and I?m wondering what the rest of you do to assure accuracy. A glance at customer reviews of meters offered on Amazon suggests to me that inaccuracy is a common problem.

Is there a brand of meter and test strip that I can rely on? I had a look at the link to information about meters offered in Maggie Davy?s Letter but it doesn?t give the information I want. I want a recommendation for a home test kit I can trust. Or perhaps you have to buy three different meters? But that would mean SO MANY pin-pricks if I?m going to test,test,test as recommended. What do the rest of you do to be sure of accuracy?

Stick to one meter, the Freestyle is supposed to be one of the better ones. A google search for freestyle accuracy can lead you here, is you can understand the report:http://www.abbottdiabetescare.co.uk.../clinical_papers/evaluation_freestylelite.pdf

You will not find a general use patient meter that is more accurate than the one you have and it is debatable why you would need one, it is unlikely that you can control your blood glucose levels any better with a more accurate reading from your meter.

 

[AlisonM]

As for .2mmol/l tolerance you must be in a minority, most people complain about the readings from using 2 meters.

Maybe so, but I've been using the two meters for a few days now and every time they're within 0.2 mmol/l. If the Insulinx reads 5.4, the Next USB will read 5.6, usually from the same drop of blood but not always. Having satisfied myself that they're going to give me similar readings every time, I'm now going to carry the Insulinx with me in my bag and keep the Next by my bed for emergencies.

 

[pav]

I use the contour next usb as my main meter and the accu chek mobile when out and about. There are slight differences between them but nothing of concern.

Earlier this year I changed my meters as my old ones were going back to 2005 or earlier. The control solution on the old meters gave a vastly different results on the old meters.

The control solution is really a confidence test that your meter reads in a given range of reasons and as mentioned does not calibrate the meter.