Honors Theses

Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery

First Advisor

David Murray

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Today, diabetes mellitus affects 8.3% of the people in the United States and is having detrimental effects on patient populations as well as health care. To this date, there are numerous monitors that all meet specific requirements and industry standards in order to aid patients in self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG). There is currently a large market for these monitors and efforts have been made to devise the monitors to be accurate and precise. Through this study, accuracy and precision were studied by evaluating the difference between the O-PDM and FSL meter monitoring systems. It was hypothesized that a difference in accuracy and precision may or may not occur when scented and unscented lotion residues are placed on the testing sites before glucose readings. By taking glucose readings with lancets at multiple sites using FSL test strips with both O-PDM and FSL meter monitors and then taking readings again once lotion residues were removed with alcohol, data were analyzed to determine if a change was present. It was concluded that changes were apparent when scented lotion and unscented lotion was present on the testing site. In addition, a statistically significant difference was present in the unscented lotions of both the O-PDM and FSL meter groups when compared to their respective controls. The alcohol data showed large differences when compared to the readings taken with lotion present, and the alcohol group presented data that was similar to the control groups. By understanding potential sources of error, such as lotion residues as well as other left over particles, health care professionals, as well as patients may utilize SMBG more effectively. The importance of hand washing as well as cleaning testing sites with alcohol before readings is encouraged for both patients and health care professionals in order that they may identify common errors and work towards improved diabetes care.

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