Abstract
Blood glucose monitoring with reagent strip methods has been used in our 330-bed teaching hospital. Concern about the accuracy of testing results, reported by the Diabetes Clinical Nurse Specialists, prompted a collaborative study by the Division of Nursing and the Clinical Pathology Department. Comparison of paired capillary and venous glucose results obtained with reagent strip methods by nurses on four hospital units with laboratory analyses demonstrated an average difference that exceeded acceptable clinical standards. Most reagent strip determinations differed by more than 10% from the laboratory determined value. The greatest variance occurred with glucose concentrations greater than 240 mg/dL (13.2 mmole L). Differences in variability on particular nursing units could be partially explained by the use of a meter rather than reading by eye, the level of staff skills, and the average level of blood glucose in their patient populations.
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