The Personal A1c Diabetes HbA1c Rapid Test Kit allows people to test whether they have sugar levels in a diabetic range.
It will show whether your HbA1c level is either:
- 48 mmol/mol (6.5%) or greater
- Or below this figure
The test may therefore be useful for people that want to know whether their HbA1c is in a healthier range.
In the UK, diabetes tests are provided by your GP and so if you need to check for diabetes, it is important you see your GP.
If you wish to test your HbA1c at homen, you are free to do so but the test by the doctors should take priority and will be more accurate. An HbA1c test from the doctors can also show you if your HbA1c is in the prediabetic range, which is something that the Personal A1c test cannot.
How the test works
The test provides all the tools you need to perform the test at home. The test can be prepared and completed within 15 minutes.
Take a while to read and understand the instructions before proceeding.
A single-use lancing device is included which allows you to draw blood. The blood is drawn into a dropper-like device and then mixed with a solution.
The solution is then applied to a specific area of the testing device.
If the ambient temperature is below a certain level, a heat pad is provided which, when activated, stimulates a chemical reaction that gently warms the pad. The testing device can be placed on the pad to achieve the necessary temperature.
The test requires a waiting time of between 10 and 15 minutes.
What we found when using the kit
The instructions were well laid out but a couple of the steps could have been a touch clearer.
The long, blue lancet cap on the lancing device simply needs to be twisted off.
The heat pad requires a small metal oval to be fully folded over to activate the reaction that causes the heat pad to warm up.
The lancing device is single-use only and one of our staff members didn’t managed to draw blood on the first attempt and therefore had to use their own lancing device to draw blood.
The results were in line with what our users, with type 1 diabetes , were expecting given their recent HbA1c results from their doctors and their recent level of control.
