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Unwell My meter is not working! or…I don’t understand ...

There are many different types of glucose meter and it is important to remember that all require their own specific testing strips in order to work properly, so there are several simple things to check if your meter is either not giving a result or giving a result that doesn’t seem right to you. Most modern meters have very few ‘serviceable’ parts, so unless the problem is very simple it may require a meter replacement.

Checklist for common mistakes:

No result recorded

  1. Does the meter switch on using the power button? If not check that the batteries are correctly aligned and that they do not need changing (its easy to forget this as many meters don’t need a battery change for well over a year)

  2. Do the sticks and the meter match?

  3.  Are the sticks in date?

  4. Have you undertaken meter calibration (if required by your meter) for this set of sticks? (usually entering a code or changing a ‘chip’ in the side of the meter)

  5.  Are there any cracks in the plastic display or casing? If so and the meter is acting unpredictably it should almost certainly be replaced

  6. Has your meter experienced water damage? (like most electronic equipment they do not tolerate this well and will likely need to be replaced)

‘Unreliable’ results

  1. Have you undertaken meter calibration (if required by your meter) for this set of sticks? (usually entering a code or changing a ‘chip’ in the side of the meter)

  2. Have you undertaken a ‘control solution’ check recently? If not do so, the control solution will provide a range within which you should expect the result to be – if this is not the case a new meter is likely required

  3. Have you eaten recently before the test? Food on your fingers can cause the result to look much higher than it really is – you should wash and dry your hands before testing

  4. Have you washed your hands before the test? Water on your fingers can dilute your blood and make the result seem much lower than it really is – you should make sure your hands are completely dry

Screen Display seems to be garbled

  1. Have you set the date and time on your meter correctly? If the date and time is not set or the setting has been lost following a battery change then the usual displays (especially the memory for previous results) will not display properly.

  2. Has your meter experienced water damage? (like most electronic equipment they do not tolerate this well and will likely need to be replaced)

  3. Have you changed the batteries recently? – poorly fitting or nearly exhausted batteries can cause some strange effects on the screens!