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:
-
Size of display screen and
backlight, which is important if you have visual
problems.
-
Step-by-step voice guide and
ability to give verbal results, which is important
if you’re visually impaired.
-
Size of blood drop
required
-
The ease with which blood can
be placed on the glucose test strip that measures
the glucose level
-
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
-
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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