When a person is diagnosed as diabetic, the first piece of equipment he needs is a blood glucose meter. Many companies manufacture blood glucose meters, and the meters vary in size and appearance. But all glucose test meters have one common factor, and that is that they all require the use of blood glucose test strips.

While the meter can be used for years, the blood glucose test strips may only be used only once, so they are a consumable item.

The blood glucose test strips contain chemicals that react with a drop of blood. Most of these blood glucose test strips are small plastic strips with a small spot on one end that is impregnated with glucose oxidase and other compounds. A few models of test meters use discs rather than strips, and these discs can be used for taking several readings before they must be discarded.

Test strips can vary from production batch to production batch, so some models of blood glucose test meters require the user to enter a code that is stamped on the strip container. Sometimes the code is stamped on a chip that comes with the test strips.

Entering the code number is done to calibrate the blood glucose test meter to work correctly with that particular batch of test strips. It is vital that the code be entered correctly in order to assure an accurate blood glucose reading. An incorrectly coded blood glucose meter can cause the user to make an error in the insulin needed — and those kind of errors can be fatal to those who are insulin dependent.

Blood glucose test strips also can vary in the time needed for an accurate reading. The time can vary from 3 to 60 seconds depending upon the brand.