Joint Commission Cautions against Using Glucose Meters That Are Sensitive to Other Sugars

March 28, 2012 | Strategic Insights for Health System

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The use of point-of-care glucose meters and test strip combinations that cannot differentiate glucose from other sugars in the blood can result in falsely elevated readings in the presence of these other sugars, explains the Joint Commission in a March 21, 2012, article posted on the organization’s website. According to the article, this type of false reading can result in the inappropriate administration of insulin with resulting hypoglycemia or in concluding that the patient has a normal blood glucose level when he or she is hypoglycemic. The Joint Commission cautions that a repeat blood glucose check with the same meter will not indicate the correct blood glucose level, because the “other sugars,” such as maltose, xylose, or galactose will again be included in the reading.

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