A blood glucose meter, also called glucometer, is a test system for use at home to measure the amount of sugar (glucose) in your blood.
To use a blood glucose meter, prick your finger with a lancet to get a drop of blood. Then place the blood on a disposable "test strip" that is inserted in your meter. The test strip contains chemicals that react with glucose. Some meters measure the amount of electricity that passes through the test strip. Others measure how much light reflects from it. In the U.S., meters report results in milligrams of glucose per deciliter of blood, or mg/dl.
Follow your doctor's recommendations about how often you test your glucose. You may need to test yourself several times each day to determine adjustments in your diet or treatment.
There are many different types of meters available for purchase that differ in several ways, including:
Talk to your healthcare provider about the right glucose meter for you, and how to use it.
There are three ways to make sure your meter works properly:
To test a liquid control solution, you test a drop of these solutions just like you test a drop of your blood. The value you get should match the value written on the test strip vial label.
Some meters allow you to test blood from sites other than the fingertip. Examples of such alternative sampling sites are your palm, upper arm, forearm, thigh, or calf. Alternative site testing (AST) should not be performed at times when your blood glucose may be changing rapidly, as these alternative sampling sites may provide inaccurate results at those times. You should use only blood from your fingertip to test if any of the following applies:
Also, you should never use results from an alternative sampling site to calibrate a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), or in insulin dosing calculations.
Source: The US Food and Drug Administration. Accessed June 7, 2017.
Explore More In Our Hep C Learning Center |
What Is Hepatitis C? Learn about this treatable virus. |
Diagnosing Hepatitis C Getting tested for this viral infection. |
Just Diagnosed? Here’s What’s Next 3 key steps to getting on treatment. |
Understanding Hepatitis C Treatment 4 steps to getting on therapy. |
Your Guide to Hep C Treatments What you need to know about Hep C drugs. |
Managing Side Effects of Treatment How the drugs might affect you. |
Making Hep C Treatment a Success These tips may up your chances of a cure. |