The lack of a unified domestic standard means that the maximum error "allowed" is 15%; for the same drop of blood, the reading can differ by as much as 0.9 (units in mmol/L, the same applies hereafter) when measured on two different brands of glucometers; and when blood is drawn simultaneously, the difference between the glucometer and the biochemical analyzer used in hospitals can be as high as 1.2. This was the scenario witnessed by a reporter recently at a top-tier hospital in Qiqihar city.
China is a country with a large population of diabetic patients, with the total number of cases now exceeding 40 million, and this figure is on the rise. In recent years, the advent of portable glucometers has provided great convenience to patients in monitoring their condition and guiding medication use, so much so that many families have come to rely entirely on them, foregoing regular hospital visits for blood sugar checks. Although glucometers are small in size, easy to use, require minimal blood samples, and provide quick results, they also have many shortcomings.