Diabetic test strips are a thin piece of plastic that is designed to be inserted into a blood glucose monitor to determine the level of glucose in your blood. A small sample of blood obtained from a finger prick is dropped on or drawn into the test strip so the meter can read it. Results are displayed within seconds on the screen of the meter.
Identification
Diabetic test strips must match the type of meter or monitor you are using. Each manufacturer creates its test strip for their model and make of monitor. Although the cost of strips is high, the price does vary from one type to another. Purchasing an inexpensive meter that requires less expensive strips than the leading brands is the best option when dealing with the excessive cost that purchasing adequate amounts of strips to monitor your glucose levels incurs.
Function
For 23.6 million Americans with Diabetes, monitoring blood glucose levels is part of a daily schedule. It allows diabetics to maintain control over diabetes and to monitor and adjust life style choices in response to glucose levels. Test strips are an integral part of the monitoring system.
Significance
Knowing how food and exercise impact on their glucose level provides diabetics with the tools necessary to make adjustments to insure optimal health. Testing glucose levels prior to eating or exercising and then retesting afterward provides valuable information on how particular foods or exercise effect glucose levels.
Effects
The expense of test strips is attributed to the extensive research and production costs, not the actual material used. This poses a special concern for diabetics, as many health insurances do not cover the cost of test strips and they must be paid for out of the pocket of the consumer. This cost per month can be substantial, particularly for anyone who does not have good control of their glucose levels. Many cost $1.00 per strip or more, with generic meters offering strips that have a reduced cost of about 50 cents each. A diabetic may be required to test glucose levels 3 or more times per day and can easily use 100 or more test strips a month.
Considerations
Less expensive meters obviously provide a less expensive alternative in terms of test strip cost, but with that reduction in cost comes a reduction in the features on the meter. Generic meters may work well to test glucose levels, but often do not have features such as a viewable history for all tests in the past 7, 14, or 30 days and are not programmable with information regarding the conditions pertaining to the test itself such as pre or post meal testing, testing after exercise or whether or not the individual is under stress.
Tags: glucose levels, test strip, test strips, blood glucose, Diabetic test strips