Comparison between glucometer and chemical analyzer for measuring blood glucose of diabetic patients

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common non-communicable disease world-wide. As the style of living in Sudan is changing to a more westernized way, with less physical activity and more dependence on carbohydrate and fat-rich diets the incidence of the disease is increasing. The management of the disease requires continuous monitoring of the patient's blood sugar, The two commonly used methods are bedside, home-based glucometers and laboratory-based chemical analyzer. The current study aimed to determine the accuracy of bedside glucometer (ACCU, CHEK) for blood glucose measurement as compared to laboratory-based automated chemical analyzer Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study included 79 diabetes mellitus patients, 49% males and 51% females, with age ranged from 20-70 years, recruited from Omdurman military hospital during the period between June to December 2012. From which venous blood was collected from each participant in lithium heparin container for measuring blood glucose using the chemical analyzer (Mindray200), simultaneously, one drop of capillary blood was placed on the strip of the glucometer (ACCU check). The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and the data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation Result: No statistical significant difference was observed between blood glucose readings using the chemical analyzer (191.5±126.7 SD) and the glucometer (176.6±126.1 SD) with P. value 0.460, although glucometer showed lower readings than chemical analyzer. Conclusion: We concluded that the bedside glucometer was as accurate as laboratory based auto analyzer, and can be used at home to monitor the glucose level.