Several steps forward: a new meter for multiple patient use.

Abstract

Point-of-care (POC) blood glucose testing is becoming ubiquitous in the hospitals because of ease of use, timely results, and cost effectiveness. Historically, these POC devices were designed and regulated for home use by patients with diabetes. Their transition into the hospital multipatient setting has introduced the real risk of cross-contamination and has exposed inadequate accuracy standards. This article highlights some of the current recommendations for these devices and focuses on a new meter that addresses these issues. Although not currently approved for use in the United States, the OneTouch® Verio®Pro blood glucose meter (LifeScan, Inc.), which is the topic of an article by MacRury and coauthors in this issue of the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, is a step forward with minimal interferences and good accuracy, and perhaps most importantly, is robust enough to withstand rigorous disinfection.