Hi,
I a newbie to this site. I was using a one touch ultra meter. I recognize that it is not precise, meaning if I take say 3 measurements all are quite different - even by 10 or 15 units. Do you know of meters which are precise? which have reproducibility of results?
I do not know if this is the right forum to ask this question.
Thanks
suresh
I mean 3 measurements immediately.
I personally have no problems with either of my one touches but the bayer contour is a great one and served me well for quite a while
have you ever tried measuring blood glucose values repeatedly without time delay? and you got the same result in one touch?
Yes I have and usually with in 1 to 3 points of each other I also did a test on every meter I had and got close results on all except the accu check one but might have just been a fluke you might want to go to the accu check website and have them send you the free meter and then to bayer and have them send you the free meter and test them out before you make a commitment you know just for your cocerns I did and love my one touch ulta link and one touch mini and I keep the bayer in the car and the free style at work.
i regularly get quite variable results in one touch ultra. i do not know what to do then…
I quit using the One Touch Ultra Smart for that same reason. I find the Freestyle Flash much more accurate.
how did you select free style flash?
are you using the old strips or the new one touch blue strips? the new ones are a lot better.
also, almost every meter will have the same problem because no two blood samples will be exactly the same. the only way to get the accuracy you desire is to get lab work done every time.
new blue strips. I got just recently. But what percentage variation could be expected? I think what I see is a lot. Since I am quite new to this, I do not know the variability in meter readings. I see more than 15 difference.
The FDA regulates the meters and right now it can be off by +/- 20 it is like that with all meters so we never know for sure but I always take my meter to the lab with me and check my meter to the lab results and I get the same results with about 5 off or so. I use the blue strips too and they work great. I know it stinks cause you are just learning and you want it all to be just right ( or at least I did when I was DX’ed ) but we tend to learn over time that it will not always be great and dandy. now if we were talking CGM’s it would be different but with meters everyone is currently trying to get the FDA to up their meter standards so we can get more accurate information.
ok thanks for the reply. I do now know that all meters are like this. Is it that all meters are FDA approved?
yes they all have to be due to what purpose it serves without some degree of accuracy we could not properly care for our disease
David Mendosa is a reliable reviewer of meters. You can check his page HERE. You have to scroll down a bit to get to the regular meters.
Hi Kristin,
Thanks for the info. I was looking for the repeatability of these meters and I guess that info is not there…the only place where I saw the term precision mentioned was in the book “Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution: The Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars”.
The “minimum acceptable accuracy” of SMBG devices according to ISO standard used for meters is 95% of the readings over 75 must be +/- 20 percent. At readings under 75, 95% must be +/- 15 mg/dl.
The FDA does not require meter manufacturers to abide by the ISO standard, but most chose to.
If you can find the owner manual for a meter online, you should be able to see the “performance characteristics” table with the results of testing for accuracy and precision. This, of course, takes some effort.
For people who are really sensitive to insulin and for children who have rapid changes in blood glucose levels, meter accuracy may be of great concern.
Personally, as a long-time type 1 who tests frequently, I don’t get too worked up over meter accuracy. Even if a reading is off by 20 percent or 15 mg/dl, it wouldn’t really change my immediate treatment efforts (I treat anything under 70 with glucose tablets, 1 tablet = 15-20 points for me. As long as I wait the recommended 15 minutes and test again, I’ll know if the glucose I took was adequate).
For highs, I treat with correction units of insulin. True, a number that is 20% off could cause me to take not quite enough of a correction dose, or perhaps a bit too much. But if I’m high already, the worse that could happen is I’m a bit high before my next meal or the number drops a bit more than I calculated (but since I was high, probably not low enough to send me into a hypo).
Yes, I would appreciate more precise and accurate meters–but I don’t at all want to pay more for the devices or the strips!
Thanks Kelly, both for the long reply and accepting me as a friend. I was trying to see if
there is any problem with my meter or a better meter (and affordable) exists out there.
Let me anyway check its user manual and see what the manual says about precision.
I got a recommendation from Dr. Richard K. Bernstein office that Aviva is a good meter. David Mendosa also recommends it and also talks about Ascensia Elite and the Ascensia Elite XL, Ascensia Contour, the Accu-Chek Advantage, and the FreeStyle Flash as meters with good precision. What are your experiences with these meters?