藥劑師教路 – 血糖機，點揀好？How to Choose Blood Glucose Meter?
相信「血糖機」呢三個字對大家並不陌生，特別係當你或屋企人有「三高」問題。使用血糖機有助監察自身健康狀況，亦可控制病情。但市面上嘅血糖機花多眼亂，同一品牌都可能有好多不同型號，究竟我哋應該點揀呢？大牌子或多功能係唔係就係最好呢？採血筆同血糖試紙又有咩要注意呢？今日教大家 4 招，助你輕鬆揀選血糖機！
Most of you should be no stranger to Blood Glucose Meter (BGM), especially when you or your family members have the “Three Highs”. Using a BGM to closely monitor our health conditions may help control our blood glucose level. However, there are many different models of BGM. Some are of the same brand, some are not. How should we choose among them? Is a BGM of famous brand or the one with most functions the best? Anything we should know for lancing device and test strip? Here are 4 ways to choose a suitable BGM for you!
1. 選擇準確度高嘅血糖機
Choose BGM With High Accuracy
大家最關心嘅問題莫過於血糖機嘅準確度。選購血糖機時，可選用擇有 ISO-15197:2013 國際認證嘅血糖機，以確保血糖機唔會有太大嘅誤差值。除此之外，亦可留意有美國 FDA、歐盟 CE 認證嘅血糖機，為準確度提供一定嘅保障。
Accuracy is always mostly concerned by BGM users. When choosing BGM, we can select those fulfilling the ISO-15197:2013 criteria to ensure the measurement has a small error. FDA approved BGM or those with CE (Conformité Européenne) marking are also a good reference for accuracy.
2. 選擇較先進嘅採血筆
Choose Advanced Lancing Device
好多人抗拒使用血糖機嘅最大原因係怕「篤手指」會痛。但隨著採血筆嘅科技進步，市面上有較幼細嘅針可供選擇，減低痛楚。如果因為血液循環嘅關係而較難採集足夠嘅血液樣本，可以選擇需要較少採血量嘅血糖機，咁就唔洗「篤得太深」喇。
The biggest obstacle for BGM users is the pain due to lancing. Good news is that thin lancets for less pain are available nowadays. If it is difficult for you to get enough blood samples due to circulation problem, BGM requiring smaller volume of blood is recommended.
3. 按個人所需選擇不同功能
Choose Functions Based on Personal Needs
隨著科技日新月異，血糖機亦越嚟越多功能，例如係餐前餐後記憶、平均值、提示功能、電腦打印記錄及藍牙連接手機等。但如果係老人家使用，可因應老人家嘅需要選擇一部有大屏幕、字體較大同操作簡單嘅血糖機。如果係後生仔，就可以選擇具藍牙功能嘅血糖機，方便連接手機讀取數據。如果使用者經常出遠門，就可以選擇較輕巧同方便攜帶嘅血糖機。
As technology is getting more advanced, many functions are developed for BGM, such as meal marker, average value, alarm function, record-printing and Bluetooth connection with mobile phone. The elderly may consider BGM with big monitor, large font size and simple functions, while young people may prefer BGM with Bluetooth connection to read data by mobile. For frequent travellers, light and portable BGM may be the best choice.
4. 留意試紙品質
Mind the Test Strips Quality
由於血糖試紙容易受外在環境影響，受潮或受熱都會變質，造成誤差。所以如果屋企比較潮濕就可選擇獨立包裝嘅試紙，以確保試紙保持最佳狀況。同時，購買血糖試紙時記得要檢查有效日期，以免買咗返屋企用唔完就過咗期喇。
BGM test strips are susceptible to environment, like humidity and heat, causing inaccuracy. Test strips with individual package are good choices for humid places to ensure the dryness. It is also recommended to check the expiry date before buying the test strips, so that the strips will not expire before finished.
屈臣氏藥劑師團隊
Watsons Pharmacy Team
