A Glucometer is a Device that plays a important task in the life of people with diabetes since they have to monitor their blood glucose level all the time and keep it in the normal range.
And its a very difficult task to choose a Glucometer from many of the Brands in the world.
Here we have presented some of the factors that you should always keep in mind before buying a Glucometer and if these factors are fulfilled by any Glucometer with the best result then you should consider it to buy for you or your loved ones.
Let's look at some of the factors that you must consider before buying a suitable Glucometer:
Cost
You should check the price of Glucometers but most of them are closely in the same range.
You don’t need to buy an Expensive Glucometer with so many features but buy a Glucometer which can tell your blood glucose level in the most appropriate way.
Size
Select a Glucometer which is small in dimension and less heavy and check whether it is easily portable and most importantly easy to carry from one place to another.
Easy Usage
Glucometers should be easy to use and not very much complicated to handle so that you can use it in a correct manner and with comfort.
Check if the Glucometer requires coding or not and check whether they can be cleaned easily without much effort.
Test Strip
Before selecting a Glucometer you should first check the availability of the test strip because in many cases test strips aren’t available online or offline (You cannot use any test strip on any Glucometer).
Check whether test strips are cheap or low in price because you need to buy test strips to check your blood glucose level all the time.
Warranty
Warranty on Glucometer is Important.
You should check the warranty of the Glucometer and clean your device after use to make it last longer.
Always look for warranty if the device faces any damage or error in reading.
Warranty may vary from none to one year to lifetime
Accuracy
According to American Diabetes Association the glucometer should have 95% of the values be accurate within ± 15 mg/dL for glucose values < 75 mg/dL and within ± 20% for glucose values ≥ 75 mg/dL.
So, if you are buying a Glucometer check if it has a 15% value difference to that of actual value for 95% of cases or 20% value difference to actual value in 99% cases.
Inaccurate Glucometer will never assist you in measuring your blood glucose level.
So, you should check for the accuracy of Glucometer before buying.
Blood sample size
Buy a Glucometer that requires least amount of blood sample that is between 0.5 to 1 µL and also provides the accurate result with lesser amount of blood sample.
Memory
Check the memory or the storage capacity of glucometer and check if it is able to retrieve old data with date and time and choose a Glucometer which has a large memory if you have to frequently check your blood glucose level.
Timing of Test
Timing of the test is important on how long will it take to show the result.
Buy a Glucometer that shows accurate results in less amount of time.
It must take 5 to 10s to display the results.
Alternate site Testing
Always taking drops of blood from finger can harm the fingers Some blood glucose meters allow you to use blood samples from other parts of the body, such as the palm, forearm, upper arm, thigh or calf but the most accurate result comes through the fingertip.
Quality parts
Quality of Lancets and test strips to be used is also a feature to be considered for better results.
These are some of the key factors to look for before buying a Glucometer.
We hope this article must have helped you in choosing your Glucometer for home use.
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