Glucose meter accuracy

Hello, Everyone,

I'm a two-month old Type 1 (diagnosed mid-January), and am on a ferocious learning curve, trying to soak up as much as I can.

Last night I was reading on the web about the problems with meter accuracy. I realize they advertise they may be as much as 20% off, but that's a heckuva lot! 20% could easily result in a different bolus amount.

Is anyone here aware of a chart or graph that shows how accurate some meters are? More importantly, which brand names should I follow?

Thank you for your help!
Jan

I agree -- this is a big problem! But, in real life, I've found that meters aren't usually that off, i.e., if I test two times in a row it's usually pretty close.

Some suggestions -- make sure you have clean hands. A little food/sugar on my fingers is usually what really messes up my readings. Also, if you try to use the same meter type all the time, at least you'd have more consistency. (And the same strips, lol)

I've just always used One Touch and they seem fine for me. But, I bet some of the parents of kids w/ T1 on here have done major research into the most accurate meters and will share! (:

The most common brands of meters I can think of are OneTouch, AccuCheck,  and Freestyle.  And maybe Contour.  I use OneTouch and I don't feel that I've that accuracy has been a problem.  It also sends my readings directly to my pump (although this won't matter for you at this point).  I haven't been able to find a chart comparing accuracy, but I think that due to the popularity of those three brands, they probably have comparable accuracy.

Welcome to Juvenation!!

I believe up to 20% is the FDA's standard of approval, so no meter should be worse than this, but I do not know of a chart to compare.  I too use a one touch meter (well, 3 of them actually).  2 communicate with my pump (ultralink), and the third is their ultra mini to fit in my purse.  I sometimes check at work before leaving and then when I get home which usually isn't more than 30 minutes apart, and the numbers are very comparable, which makes me feel that there is not a big accuracy issue occuring for me. 

Thanks so much, Sarah, Katie, and Jamie. It's very helpful to hear about your experiences. And i appreciate the warm welcome.   :-)

I've decided on One Touch as well. Everyone seems to like it, and the features are impressive. (At least from my newbie point of view!) I picked up an Ultra 2 just this afternoon.

It's nice to know about the forums on this site. I may start hanging out here and chatting more.

Enjoy your weekends!  ;-)

Hi I am a Type 1 since 1966 and many changes have happened over the years. I have been on the insulin pump for the past 4 years and have found the ONE Touch meters have been the most true. I have 3 one touch meters and have tested all and they seem to be correct. My last A1c was 6.5

The FDA standard is what percentage a meter is +/- 20% accurate.  In the US and in Europe's version of the FDA the One Touch Ultra meters scored highest.  Had to research this recently when my insurance company stopped covering One Touch test strips. 

It's annecdotal, but I've used many different types since glucose meters first became available in the early 1980's.  One Touch have been the most accurate for me.