How to Use a Diabetes Test Meter
People with diabetes don’t break down glucose in their body adequately, which can lead to diabetic blindness, kidney disease, amputations of limbs, stroke and heart disease. The way people with diabetes find out how much glucose is in their system is by using a diabetic test meter, commonly called a glucose meter. Most diabetics test their own blood glucose level using this device; this process may be called self-monitored blood glucose, SMBG, or home blood glucose monitoring, HBGM. The American Diabetes Association recommends spending time with a diabetes educator before purchasing or using a glucose meter.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Glucose meter
- Lancet
- Alcohol or alcohol wipe
- Glucose test strips
- Soap and water
-
-
1
Choose a glucose meter suitable to your needs. Glucose test meters abound on the market. They come in various sizes, speeds, levels of complexity and prices. They use varying amounts of blood, with some newer ones allowing you to take blood samples from sites other than your fingertips (alternate site testing). Some can store your results in memory, some can’t. Test strips aren’t uniform, either, nor are their prices. Which meter you use may depend on the cost, complexity or just which unit and testing supplies are available at your local pharmacy. Talk over your choice with your doctor, diabetes educator or pharmacist, and check with your insurance company. While most meters on the market are accurate, don’t assume all meters and testing supplies are automatically covered by your insurance. Many manufacturers provide the testing device for free, knowing you’ll have to buy their brand of test strips for the foreseeable future, so take the cost of the testing supplies into consideration when making your purchase.
-
2
Know when to test your glucose levels. How often blood glucose levels should be tested depends on the type of diabetes you have and what your doctor recommends. Generally speaking, if you have Type I diabetes, you will need to test your glucose levels three or more times per day. These might include: before meals, a couple hours after a meal, at bedtime, and perhaps in the middle of the night. Pregnant women who have gestational diabetes usually need to test themselves twice a day. If you have Type II diabetes, your doctor may or may not recommend regular testing.
-
3
Set out the glucose meter, alcohol wipe, lancet and test strip. Wash your hands with soap and water and dry them thoroughly. Wipe the testing site—usually a fingertip—with alcohol and allow it to dry. Prick the fingertip with a lancet. Holding your hand with the finger pointing down, catch a drop of blood on the test strip.
-
4
Place the strip in the indicated spot on the glucose meter. Follow manufacturer’s instructions on your device for obtaining a result. Record your result. Dispose of used materials properly. Wash your hands.
-
5
Read your glucose level on the meter. Ranges vary on glucose meters, but most will read from 0 to 600 mg/dl. If you feel a reading is too high or too low, redo your test. Many factors can affect the test, including poor test strips, or a meter that needs to be recalibrated. Meters need to be cleaned, too, so check the instructions on yours to learn how often this needs to be done.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
All glucose meters are slightly different, but the basic testing steps should be similar for all meters.
No matter what the display on your glucose meter shows, it won’t mean anything to you if you haven’t learned to interpret the results or how to act on them. This is best done through spending time with your doctor or a trained diabetes educator.
Because glucose testing devices vary widely, always carefully read all instructions before using your glucose meter and refer to them frequently to learn when and how to clean your monitor, as well as how to change the battery and get the machine recalibrated.
You also need to be sure you are using the test strips best suited to your device.
