¿Podemos confiar en una glicemia realizada en un glucómetro al lado de la cama del enfermo?

Abstract

Examinations performed beside the bed of patients ("Point-of-care testing, POCT") provide immediate results and are simple to perform. The most common of these tests is the self control of blood glucose levels in diabetic patients. The use of these devices at the hospital level, introduces a new set of requirements to health institutions, which should monitor all aspects of the process, including training of final users, proper quality control, development of written procedures for use and even participation in surveys of external quality control, avoiding the generation of errors and guaranting patient safety.