Choosing the ideal blood glucose monitor is all about you! This means that you need to determine which features are most important to you based on your lifestyle and preferences. Perhaps when you were first diagnosed with diabetes you were given a basic monitor by your diabetes educator. Depending on your lifestyle and activity level, the original glucose monitor may or may not fully meet your needs.
Consequently, it’s important to understand the differences between the various blood sugar monitors on the market. As you probably already know routine blood glucose monitoring can help to avoid dangerous diabetes complications. The following is a discussion on common blood sugar meter features as well as choosing which features you need.
What is a Blood Glucose Monitor?
A blood glucose meter is a small device that allows you to check your blood sugar levels on your own. You can check your blood glucose by simply placing a small amount of blood (from a finger prick or other area of the body) onto a test strip inserted into a glucose meter. People with diabetes typically test their blood sugar levels a few times a day, before and after meals.
Common Blood Sugar Meter Features
There are many different blood sugar monitors on the market, and the one thing they all have in common is they allow you to test your blood sugar anytime anywhere. The basic features that all blood sugar monitors have are a screen that displays the blood glucose level, disposable test strips, and a way to review previous test results. Blood glucose meters differ when it comes to the time it takes to render results, screen size, data management, blood sample size, and sample location.
Deciding Which Glucose Monitor Features You Need
When deciding which glucose monitor features that you need be sure to think about how you will use a monitor. For instance, some monitors are very small and have a small screen in order to increase portability. Conversely, other meters have a large screen to make it easier to read test results, which comes in especially handy for diabetics with vision problems.
If you are a person who likes to have lots of data and graphs on your test results, then you may want to choose a meter that is more sophisticated. These robust meters allow you to connect to your computer via a USB port, and download test results. You can also create graphs and charts of your test results. This makes it much easier to share results with your physician and other healthcare professionals.
Some people prefer not to have to prick your finger in order to take a blood sample, and to accommodate them some meters actually allow you to collect samples from areas other than your finger. For instance, with these monitors you can collect your blood sample from your forearm or other areas of the body. The rationale here is that it hurts more to collect a blood sample from your finger than it does to collect it from other areas of your body with fewer nerve endings.
Another consideration when choosing features for a blood glucose monitor is cost. Generally speaking, the more features the monitor has, the more expensive it will be. Remember, no matter which monitor you choose, just be sure that you use it regularly to monitor your blood glucose in order to stay healthy!
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Source:
American Diabetes Association. "Diabetes Basics: Selecting Glucose Monitors" (accessed September 1, 2010).
Cheri Pearson - Cheri Pearson is a seasoned freelance journalist who holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of ...
