Comparison of two methods of bedside blood glucose screening in the NICU: evaluation of accuracy and reliability.

Bedside whole blood glucose screening in the NICU has been an accepted method of care for several years. Meters or visually read reagent strips are used in bedside screening, but the reliability and accuracy of these methods are not always established before they are implemented as routine practice in the NICU. A study was conducted to determine which method of bedside whole blood glucose screening was the more accurate: visually read Chemstrip bG reagent strips or the One Touch II meter method. The values obtained were compared with lab analysis of serum glucose, and a correlation study was performed to compare the accuracy and reliability of the values produced by the two methods. One hundred samples were obtained from 38 NICU infants; 63 percent of the 100 samples were compared with lab values. Results revealed that the One Touch II method was more reliable (r = .92) than the Chemstrip bG method (r = .87). Furthermore, the One Touch II results correlated better with lab values when the meter was not operated in the neonatal mode. This study revealed that the One Touch II method appears to provide safe and accurate screening of bedside blood glucose in a high-risk neonatal population.