Getting started
Today's blood glucose meters are smaller, faster, and come with more features than ever before. They're also more accurate than blood glucose meters of years past. That's good news for the approximately 26 million Americans with diabetes.
Controlling blood glucose is key to managing diabetes and preventing complications. Test results help patients make adjustments to their diet, exercise routine, and diabetes treatment plan, which can help lower the risk of seizures, blindness, kidney disease, and nerve damage.
How we tested
To find the best blood glucose meters, our lab technicians took blood samples from staff members, some who had diabetes, and compared multiple readings from each tested home meter with a standard laboratory glucose analyzer to determine accuracy and repeatability, our measure of a meter's consistency from test to test. In addition, a panel of staff members with diabetes helped rate the blood glucose meters for ease of use.
Current Food and Drug Administration standards require that blood glucose meters be accurate within 20 percentage points of lab readings. We think the standard should be tightened, an improvement the FDA is considering. Our Ratings (available to subscribers) allow you to compare the accuracy of various models above and beyond current guidelines. All the models we tested were well within current accuracy regulations, but only those with Very Good or Excellent scores earned our recommendation.
Visit ConsumerReports.org for our latest information on Blood glucose meters
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