Accuracy and precision of four main glucometers used in a Sub-Saharan African Country: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: capillary glucose measurement using point-of-care glucometers is an essential part of diabetes care. We determined the technical accuracy, clinical accuracy and precision of commonly available glucometers against standard spectrophotometry in Cameroon.Methods: a sample of four glucometers was selected. In the 108 diabetic and non-diabetic participants, blood glucose values obtained by glucometers were compared to the reference laboratory method to determine their technical and clinical accuracies. Precision was determined by repeated measurements using standard solutions of different concentrations.Results: accu-Chek® Active, CodeFree™, Mylife™ Pura™ and OneTouch® Ultra® 2 values had correlation coefficients of 0.96, 0.87, 0.97 and 0.94 respectively with reference values, and biases of 18.7%, 29.1%, 16.1% and 13.8% respectively. All glucometers had ≥ 95% of values located within the confidence limits except OneTouch® Ultra®2. Accu-Chek® Active, CodeFree™, Mylife™ Pura™ and OneTouch® Ultra® 2 had 99%, 93.1%, 100% and 98.0% of values in Parke's zones A and B. The coefficients of variation of the glucometers were all below 5% at all standard concentrations, except for Accu-Chek® Active for glucose concentrations at100 and 200mg/dL.Conclusion: no glucometer met all the international recommendations for technical accuracy. Accu-Chek™ Active and Mylife™, Pura™ met the International Organization for Standardization 2013 recommendations for clinical accuracy based on Parke's consensus error grid analysis. All glucometers assessed except Accu-Chek® Active showed a satisfactory level of precision at all concentrations of standard solutions used

Selfmonitoring of blood glucose practices by people living with diabetes who use their personal glucometers in Port Harcourt, Niger Delta Region, Nigeria

Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) assists persons living with diabetes with the day-to-day behavioral and therapeutic adjustments to their diabetes care. It is a cheaper and more available alternative to glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in Nigeria for monitoring glycaemic control. Information on SMBG practices of Nigerians living with diabetes using their personal glucometers is scanty. The aim of the study is to assess the intensity and frequency of SMBG by glucometer owners, and the extent the patients and/or the health care providers (HCP) utilize SMBG to achieve personalized treatment goals via behavioral/treatment adjustments. This was a cross sectional study carried out among persons living with diabetes that accessed diabetes care at the diabetes clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) and using their personal glucometers. They were consecutively recruited. Data obtained by using interviewer-administered questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0, and pvalue <0.05 was considered significant. A total of 128 persons living with diabetes participated in the study of which 40 (31%) were males and 88 (69%) were females; the mean age of the subjects was 52.05 ± 11.24 years with a range of 26­70 years. The majority of the study subjects (72%) were in the active working age group (25­60years). The highest frequency of glucometer use was in the 26 subjects (20%) who checked their blood glucose every morning while 62 (48%) of the subjects checked their blood glucose any morning they felt like. Most of the subjects (60%) did not have any recording device. Glucometer owners were not just the insulin-requiring people living with diabetes as more than half of the subjects, 66 (52%) were on oral anti diabetic drugs (OAD) only. Glucometer ownership was mainly by those that were in the working age group. SMBG protocol (frequency) was variable and SMBG data were not maximally utilized

Factors associated with self-monitoring of glycaemic control among persons with diabetes in Benin City, Nigeria

Persons with diabetes in our hospital are taught various methods of self-monitoring. However, the factors associated with this practice are poorly documented. We therefore investigated 100 consecutive patients from our clinic. Seventy-two (72%) subjects practised self-monitoring, 63 by testing urine, 8 by testing blood glucose, and 1 person by tasting his urine. Most tested once a week, and the frequency of testing differed on the basis of the method employed and also the level of education. We therefore recommend the inclusion of routine teaching of self-monitoring to diabetic persons in health educational talks

Self blood glucose monitoring among diabetic patients in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Self blood glucose monitoring (SBGM) is important in the management of people living with diabetes. This study set out to evaluate the knowledge and practice of SBGM in diabetic patients at our clinic in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Ninety (90) diabetic patients attending the clinic were assessed with self-administered questionnaires. There were 36 (40%) males and 54 (60%) females with a mean age of 54±23 years, and a mean duration of diabetes of 8 years. Eighty-one (90%) had type 2 diabetes while nine (10%) had type 1 diabetes. Eighteen type 2 patients (20%) were on insulin alone, 52 (58%) on oral drugs, and 20 (22%) were on a combination. Fifty-two patients knew only about using glucose meters for SBGM, 30 knew about using both meters and urine dipsticks, and 4 did not know of any method. Only 24 (27%) patients had glucose meters and no type 1 patient had a meter. The highest frequency of monitoring was once daily in six patients. None of the patients practised urine monitoring. In conclusion, this study has shown that the practice of SBGM in our patients is inadequate despite reasonable knowledge of the technique. This is most likely due to scarce resources. The importance of SBGM should be emphasised more in our practice, especially in patients with type 1 diabetes, and there should be motivation for improved self-monitoring resources

Conditions d'utilisation et contrôle de qualité des lecteurs de glycémie capillaire au chu de conakry avec l'hemocue b glucose

Les objectifs de l'étude étaient de préciser les conditions d'utilisation et la fiabilité des résultats des lecteurs de glycémie utilisés par le personnel soignant au Centre Hospitalier et Universitaire (CHU) de Conakry. Chaque lecteur en utilisation (n=21) a été testé sur les mêmes prélèvements capillaires, en normoglycémie et en hyperglycémie par rapport à la valeur cible de référence : l'analyseur HemoCue B glucose®. Des données complémentaires ont été recueillies au près de chaque utilisateur qui a été ensuite soumis à une observation directe pendant qu'il effectuait une glycémie. Les appareils recensés étaient de la marque Life scan® (n=17) et Roche® (n=4). Le modèle le plus utilisé était le One Touch Basic® (n=7). En moyenne, les résultats rendus par les différents lecteurs de glycémies s'écartaient de la référence de 0,09 g/L (soit 9,7% de la valeur de référence) en normoglycémie et de 1,40g/l (soit 26%) en hyperglycémie. Les valeurs obtenues par 81% des lecteurs de glycémie étaient à plus de 15% de la valeur cible de référence. Aucun utilisateur n'employait les bandelettes de contrôle. Deux lecteurs étaient souillés de sang et aucun port de gants lors de la réalisation des glycémies n'a été observé. La formation des utilisateurs et un contrôle de qualité régulier des lecteurs de glycémies pourraient prévenir le risque induit de traitement inadapté ou de transmission nosocomiale d'infection