Evaluation of extra‐laboratory blood glucose meters: Beyond precision and accuracy

Capillary blood glucose monitoring plays an important part in the monitoring of diabetes. There are a large number of different blood glucose meters, each of which have satisfactory analytical performance for monitoring purposes in the hands of experienced personnel. Of less certainty is their performance and acceptability (including ease of use) in the hands of nursing staff, but these factors are more difficult to assess. This study assessed these non‐analytical factors by administering a structured questionnaire to nursing staff who were asked to compare two meters in the clinical setting. Although both meters had adequate analytical performance, there were significant differences in terms of ease of use, especially applying a satisfactory blood sample and speed of operation. These and other user factors could have a significant impact on the successful performance of hospital near patient blood glucose monitoring. This method of non‐analytical method comparison could play an important part in the selection of an appropriate monitoring system.