Point-Of-Care Glucose Testing

A point-of-care (POC) glucose meter gives a rapid estimate of glucose from a capillary whole-blood sample. The strip’s enzyme reacts with glucose, and the meter reports a plasma-equivalent result in mmol/L. That speed makes the test useful for detecting hypoglycemia, guiding prescribed insulin administration, monitoring illness, and evaluating symptoms at the bedside. The result is not a laboratory reference value. A meter can be technically functioning, used correctly, and still differ from a simultaneous laboratory plasma glucose. Performance standards describe how a meter performs across many samples; they do not make every individual reading exact. Treat a POC result as clinically useful information that must fit the patient’s condition. Canadian glucose values are reported in mmol/L. A value below 4.0 mmol/L is the practical action threshold for hypoglycemia in a person using insulin or an insulin secretagogue. A pre-meal value above 14.0 mmol/L during illness calls for ketone testing in a person with type 1 diabetes. Units matter: confusing mmol/L with mg/dL can create a dangerous treatment error. POC testing answers a focused question: *What is the patient’s glucose likely...