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How did you choose the glucose meter you use most often? |
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It's the controller for my insulin pump |
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42% |
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 62 |
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I like a particular feature (accuracy, light, size, etc.) |
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23% |
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34 |
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My diabetes team recommended it or gave it to me |
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17% |
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25 |
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My insurance company requires me to use it |
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9% |
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13 |
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It's the least expensive for me to use (but I can choose whatever meter I want) |
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1% |
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2 |
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I received it at a diabetes event |
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2% |
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3 |
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A friend recommended it or gave it to me |
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1% |
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1 |
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Some other reason |
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4% |
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6 |
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Total votes: 146 |
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How did you choose the glucose meter you use most often?
Poll dates: April 18 - 25, 2012
Total Votes: 168
In October 1998, we ran our first poll that asked readers which glucose meter they use. The meters available then were quite different than the meters available today, requiring much larger blood volumes, taking much longer to produce a result, and offering little in the way of software tools to analyze glucose patterns. Over the years, we ran essentially the same poll.
However, in recent years, the glucose meter has changed in many ways. Most notably, two insulin pumps -- the Medtronic Paradigm and the Animas Ping -- use a glucose meter as an additional controller, and the OmniPod has a glucose meter built into its controller. Given the widespread use of insulin pumps among CWD families (64% report using pumps as of September 2011), a large percentage of CWD families are having their glucose meter chosen for them because of their insulin pump -- in the case of this poll, 42% report choosing their glucose meter because it's their pump's controller.
With the growing awareness of the benefits of data analysis to improve care (aided considerably by integrating the glucose meter with the pump), and more patch pumps under development and set to be introduced into the marketplace, we'll see more "glucose meters" as pump controllers, essentially making the choice of a meter secondary to the choice of an insulin pump. With that, the days of being able to pick and choose a new meter because of a particular feature or option will be over for a lot of CWD families. The one potential game changer is the coming integration of glucose meters with mobile phones, such as the amazing iBG*STAR.
This table shows how readers have answered this poll in the past:
| Answer |
Apr 2012 |
Apr 2011 |
Apr 2010 |
| Controller for an insulin pump |
42% |
43% |
39% |
| Like a feature |
23% |
23% |
26% |
| Diabetes team recommended |
17% |
21% |
18% |
| Insurance company requires |
9% |
4% |
8% |
| Least expensive |
1% |
2% |
2% |
| Got at a diabetes event |
2% |
2% |
-- |
| Friend recommended |
1% |
0% |
1% |
| Other |
4% |
4% |
5% |
[Return to the current poll]
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