Use of an automated device for alternative site blood glucose monitoring

OBJECTIVE - To evaluate the accuracy, comfort, and ease of use of a new aut omated device for blood glucose monitoring using the arm as an alternative sampling site. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS- These studies use an automated hand-held devic e that applies a small vacuum, lances the skin, transfers blood onto an ele ctrochemical test strip, and measures glucose. Patients who had type 1 or t ype 2 diabetes and had received no prior training using this device were re cruited from five diabetes clinics. Testing was performed by the patients u sing this device and by trained healthcare professionals. Blood glucose was measured by 354 patients: from the arm using the device, from the finger u sing a laboratory reference instrument, and from the finger using the devic e via the secondary test port. Each patient completed a questionnaire ratin g the level of pain and ease of use of the device. RESULTS - Blood glucose results in samples obtained from the arm with the a utomated device agreed well with finger stick plasma glucose results using a reference instrument (regression slope 0.98, intercept 0.01 mmol/l [0.1 m g/dl], r = 0.96). Error grid analysis showed that 100% of the measurements fell within zones A and B. In the survey, 60% of the patients reported that arm testing with the automated device was "painless;" another 31% of the p atients stated that it was "much less painful," and 6% of patients consider ed using the device "less painful" than finger-stick testing. In a survey c ontaining 15 questions for rating the ease of use with a scale of 1 to 6, t he overall mean rating was 5.5. CONCLUSIONS- The automated device is easy to use and provides accurate gluc ose results; 97% of the patients found it less painful than finger-stick te sting.