Comparison of point-of-care glucometers and laboratory based glucose oxidase test in determining blood glucose levels

Abstract

Abstract: Introduction: Alterations in blood glucose levels are
common and an important determinant of a patient's admission
outcomes, point-of-care glucometers, which are affected by a variety of factors, are increasingly
used in clinical care. In this study
we compared blood glucose levels
determined by two commonly
used glucometers (One Touch®
and Accu-check®
) with those of a
standard laboratory method and
determined the effect of haematocrit on glucose readings
Methods: Blood glucose levels
were measured with One Touch®
and Accu-Check® glucometers
and the glucose oxidase method at
the same time in 295 children
aged 0 to 15 years over a 6-month
period. Bland-Altman and correlation analysis were used to explore
biases among the three methods.
For all statistical tests, a p-value
of less than 0.05 was considered
statistically significant.
Results: Most were males (51.2%)
and the median (range) age was 1
year (1 day, 12 years). There was a
significant correlation between
each of the glucometer methods
and laboratory blood sugar, and
the correlation between the two
glucometers was strong and significant. This correlation remained
statistically significant even after
controlling for haematocrit values.
There was an acceptable level of
bias (3.9 mg/dL) between the One
Touch®
and Accu-check® glucometers, but each had a remarkably large bias compared with the
glucose oxidase method.
Conclusion: The use of a tested
glucometer in clinical settings can
aid in rapid decision-making, but
there is a need to periodically cross
-check with the glucose oxidase
method in the laboratory to optimise treatment outcomes for children with dysglycaemia.
Key words: Comparison, glucometers, glucose, laboratory- based glucose oxidase test