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Types of Blood Glucose Meters

Nearly 8 percent of adults and children in the United States have some form of diabetes. For these individuals, being able to monitor blood sugar is one of the keys to feeling and remaining physically well. This can be done through the use of blood glucose meters. Several types of blood glucose meters are available.

  1. All-In-One

    • All-in-one blood glucose meters have the lancet device, which is used to draw blood, attached directly to the meter. The lancet may be detachable. These kinds of meters don't require the handling of individual test strips---the user simply presses a button and the strip is prepared within the meter. They tend to use less blood and to be less painful than other blood glucose meters.

    Continuous

    • Continuous blood glucose meters are used, as the name implies, to monitor blood glucose continuously. They measure blood glucose every 10 seconds and provide an average blood glucose level every 5 minutes. This is done through a sensor that is inserted under the skin of the abdomen. The sensor sends data to a monitor, and the health care team of the individual then can download the data to analyze it. This type of meter generally is used only to try to find trends in the individual's glucose over a few days so a treatment plan can be determined.

    Food Monitoring

    • Food monitoring blood glucose meters are used before and after every meal. The results of each glucose test is flagged as being a before- or after-meal result, and the results are then averaged based on whether they were before or after the meal. The total average from both also can be found.

    Combined

    • Combined blood glucose meters have a wrist blood pressure cuff attached. The benefit of these meters is that the individual doesn't have to buy both a cuff and a meter. It is best for those whose blood sugar issues also are related to high blood pressure that needs to be monitored.

    Visually Impaired

    • Visually impaired blood glucose meters are designed for individuals who have poor or no sight. They "talk" to the user and give directions via voice prompts. If an individual doesn't hear or understand a prompt, he can press a button to hear the prompt again. These meters activate as soon as a strip is inserted and can use alternate testing sites. They usually have fewer steps and thus tend to have results that are very accurate.

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