Test monitor accuracy?

Oldvatr

Expert
Messages
8,470
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
For what it's worth, the NZ government decided on the caresens brand as the mandated meters for NZ diabetics based on cost and accuracy. With a population of 5 million, we can't afford to pay for multiple meters.
The NHS evaluated the SD Codefree and rejected it outright even though it had the cheapest cost of ownership in terms of the strips. They found it did not meet the accuracy requirements of ISO (2004). They do accept the Caresense Dual since I get my strips on scrip so it has an NHS ident code.
 

Oldvatr

Expert
Messages
8,470
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)

Ricky

Well-Known Member
Messages
295
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
I have just been sent a new (to me ) monitor because Abbott said my trusty Freestyle Lite was out of date and they don't make them anymore. I was sent an Optium Neo. I would be interested to know how anyone else has got on with this meter . This morning I tested my fasting which hasn't gone back down since a mild dose of covid in December although my HbA1c last month was 6.3 (45) on a low carb diet and 1 metformin 500mg. These were my results:-

1.The new strips that came yesterday from Abbott because I moaned that the ones I received in my prescription were reading too too high 8.5

2,The one that I was complaining about 7.5

3. My “out of date " trusty freestyle lite meter 7.2

The day before at lunchtime :-
1) New replacement ones 6.3

2) Current ones that I was moaning about 5.5

3) Trusty freestyle lite meter 5.3

What do you make of these results? Which are correct? Does anyone use one of these meters?

Thanks for reading.
 
Last edited:

Oldvatr

Expert
Messages
8,470
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I have just been sent a new (to me ) monitor because Abbott said my trusty Freestyle Lite was out of date and they don't make them anymore. I was sent an Optium Neo. I would be interested to know how anyone else has got on with this meter . This morning I tested my fasting which hasn't gone back down since a mild dose of covid in December although my HbA1c last month was 6.3 (45) on a low carb diet and 1 metformin 500mg. These were my results:-

1.The new strips that came yesterday from Abbott because I moaned that the ones I received in my prescription were reading too too high 8.5

2,The one that I was complaining about 7.5

3. My “out of date " trusty freestyle lite 7.2

The day before at lunchtime :-
1) New replacement ones 6.3

2) Current ones that I was moaning about 5.5

3) Trusty freestyle lite 5.3

What do you make of these results? Which are correct? Does anyone use one of these meters?

Thanks for reading.
Part of the problem is that meters made before 2013 were calibrated to Whole Blood which was the old standard. In 2013 they changed so that modern meters had to be calibrated to what is termed Plasma so that they correspond more closely to the laboratory blood tests that use venous samples rather than pin pricks.

https://www.mylife-diabetescare.com...lucose-measurement/whole-blood-vs-plasma.html

For a while Abbott continued to supply the NEO in the old whole blood and this was one reason why Abbott did not get selected to supply the NHS after 2015. My NEO was whole blood calibrated, and my GP made me change meter to one approved by our CCG.

Accucheck changed their strips instead of the meter, so maybe Abbott did a similar trick?
 

Ricky

Well-Known Member
Messages
295
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Part of the problem is that meters made before 2013 were calibrated to Whole Blood which was the old standard. In 2013 they changed so that modern meters had to be calibrated to what is termed Plasma so that they correspond more closely to the laboratory blood tests that use venous samples rather than pin pricks.

https://www.mylife-diabetescare.com...lucose-measurement/whole-blood-vs-plasma.html

For a while Abbott continued to supply the NEO in the old whole blood and this was one reason why Abbott did not get selected to supply the NHS after 2015. My NEO was whole blood calibrated, and my GP made me change meter to one approved by our CCG.

Accucheck changed their strips instead of the meter, so maybe Abbott did a similar trick?

Oh gosh so you are telling me that maybe the 2 lots of Neo strips are testing maybe plasma and and the freestyle lite that I have had for ever maybe whole blood? I shall phone them on Tuesday and find out. That could be an explanation except the Freestyle lite is the lowest and that more accurately represents my HbA1c. I have only had the Neo a fortnight and on the app when I connected to my laptop it seemed to prefer to do averages of 90 days. I will keep my eye on this . Thanks for the useful info , However the 2 lots of Neo strips seem a whole 1.0 difference in the morning. Glad I am not on Insulin when this might make a difference. I think they allow something like 10-15% leeway which I hate and that would be more obvious in the morning when it is high than before my evening meal when it is low!!
 

Oldvatr

Expert
Messages
8,470
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Oh gosh so you are telling me that maybe the 2 lots of Neo strips are testing maybe plasma and and the freestyle lite that I have had for ever maybe whole blood? I shall phone them on Tuesday and find out. That could be an explanation except the Freestyle lite is the lowest and that more accurately represents my HbA1c. I have only had the Neo a fortnight and on the app when I connected to my laptop it seemed to prefer to do averages of 90 days. I will keep my eye on this . Thanks for the useful info , However the 2 lots of Neo strips seem a whole 1.0 difference in the morning. Glad I am not on Insulin when this might make a difference. I think they allow something like 10-15% leeway which I hate and that would be more obvious in the morning when it is high than before my evening meal when it is low!!
A single meter should be within 15% of actual reading, but two meters in parallel on the sample blood drop can differ by 30% and still be considerd accurate. And don'tforget that is a [+/-] error for each meter reading. So using the same meter twice on the same drop is also +/- 15% from the first result.
 

Ricky

Well-Known Member
Messages
295
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
A single meter should be within 15% of actual reading, but two meters in parallel on the sample blood drop can differ by 30% and still be considerd accurate. And don'tforget that is a [+/-] error for each meter reading. So using the same meter twice on the same drop is also +/- 15% from the first result.
OK so what are the odds of accuracy of same meter - 2 different batches of strips and same sample blood drop which is what my 1 and 2 readings are?
I am wondering why I bother to take so much notice of my tests results before a meal because I won't have my lunch until I get a <6 reading.
Thank you for being so knowledgeable.