ABSTRACT
Recent advances in the management of diabetes require more frequent measurement of blood glucose levels to maintain it within narrow limits. Hand-held devices, called “glucometers,” are used for bedside measurement of blood glucose (see Figure 9.1). The glucometer measures the blood glucose from a single drop of blood placed on a testing strip inserted into the device which displays the glucose level on its LCD screen in less than one minute. Because blood glucose results from the main laboratory typically require a physician order and it can be hours being reported, bedside glucometer testing has become extremely popular.
