Blood Glucose Determination: Point of Care Testing

Abstract

Mechanisms for point of care glucose determinations have changed significantly since first introduced approximately 20 years ago. Such tests are now commonly done in acute and chronic care hospitals, as well as in physicians' offices and patients' homes. Although basically reliable, there are a number of potential problems with glucose determination by these methods that may not be considered by physicians interpreting these tests. This is a brief review of such problems, especially in the acute care setting.