Addressing Challenges of Point-of-Care Glucometer Monitoring: Enhancing the Accuracy of Point-of Care Glucometer: Hospital Case Study
Background and aim: Point-of-Care Testing is clinical laboratory testing performed by healthcare providers at the patient’s bedside where care is provided. This case study aims at recognizing the encountered challenges and possible solutions related to the existing blood glucose measuring process in clinical settings. Methods: To address these challenges leading to inaccurate blood glucose readings, an inclusive action plan has been applied. This plan comprises several key measures structured to correct practice and enhance awareness across professionals, aimed at establishing reliable and accurate blood glucose monitoring. Results: Implementing a comprehensive intervention plan has yielded a significant improvement in the accuracy and reliability of blood glucose results across the hospital, it also has controlled several issues that resulted in interruptions in patient care and the need for repeating the test such as improper technique, inconsistent readings, and faulty equipment that were frequently encountered by the staff. The statistical analysis of the variation between the glucometer and lab results demonstrated a significant reduction in the mean of variation, with a mean variation of 8.685 (±13.37) before the intervention and 5.95 (14.89) after the intervention, t (238) = (0.724) p-value = .032. a 17% reduction was observed in the glucometer strips utilization and 33% in the control solution. Conclusion: Identifying the key challenges associated with inaccurate readings enabled the development of a multifaceted action plan. The implementation of this comprehensive approach has shown a notable improvement in the accuracy and reliability of BG monitoring in the hospital.
Keywords Point-of-Care, laboratory testing, Glucometer
