Fasting Glucose Level In Diabetes Mellitus Patients Using Glucometers With And Without Dry Cotton Swabs When Taking Capillary Blood

Abstract

Errors in using glucometers can lead to inaccuracies in blood glucose measurement, ranging from 90%-97%. This study aims to determine the fasting glucose levels of diabetic patients measured using a glucometer in groups with and without the use of a dry cotton swab. This research used a quasi experimental design. The examination methods for the test materials included a glucometer and the GOD-PAP. The study population consisted of all diabetes mellitus patients undergoing laboratory tests at Wonolangan Probolinggo Hospital. A sample of 30 patients was taken. The mean fasting blood glucose level for the group with capillary blood samples taken with a dry cotton swab was 141.17 mg/dl. For the group with capillary blood samples taken without a dry cotton swab, the mean was 131.93 mg/dl. For venous blood samples with NaF anticoagulant tested using the GOD-PAP method, the mean was 145.63 mg/dl. The statistical test resulted in a significance value of 0.331 > 0.05. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed no significant difference between capillary blood samples with and without the dry cotton swab. However, in terms of health science, there is a difference in the glucose measurement results: the POCT glucose level compared to the gold standard method (GOD-PAP) had a difference of 9.24 mg/dl (for the group with a dry cotton swab) and a mean difference of 13.7 mg/dl (for the group without a dry cotton swab).