Accurate readings that you can trust

The company who brings you CONTOUR^® products, Ascensia Diabetes Care offers a portfolio of blood glucose meters which provide suitable accuracy levels for various therapy types.

Accurate readings can help you make the right decision when they matter most. 

• Our CONTOUR^®NEXT range, of meters which features the Contour XT, Contour Next One and Contour Next Link meter offers exceptional accuracy, surpassing even the industry standard^1,4,5

This means no matter which of these meters you use, you can be confident that your meter meets or exceeds accuracy requirements. 

What affects the accuracy of your blood glucose readings?

Have you have ever compared two different types of blood glucose meters and wondered why you don’t get the same reading? How can you be sure that the readings you are getting are accurate? 

The below are some of the factors which influence blood glucose meter accuracy and performance: 

• Meter accuracy and precision of results – new standards allow meter performance accuracy to vary against results done in a lab setting by +/-15%. Whilst accuracy is important, within this, it is also important to consider the precision or variability of results. With the CONTOUR^®NEXT range of meters, you can feel confident, blood is easily sipped into the test strip itself with no blood entering the meter during the testing process.
• Not enough blood glucose sample – sometimes you might not get enough blood the test strip which could give an inaccurate result. The CONTOUR^®NEXT test strip uses Sip-In Sampling^® technology which easily fills the test strip. The meter also gives an audible signal once the test strip is full to help you test correctly first time. The CONTOUR^®NEXT test strip also features Second-Chance^™ sampling which allows you to test again within 30 seconds of the initial sample application, should the first sample be insufficient. Second-Chance sampling also exceeds ISO 15197:2015 accuracy criteria on second sampling⁹.
• Meter not coded correctly – Miscoding of meters can produce inaccurate results by up to 4 mmol/L¹⁰. With No Coding technology by the company who brings you CONTOUR^® products, Ascensia Diabetes Care, all of our test strips have a calibration electrode integrated into the strip and automatically calibrates the meter upon insertion. So basically you don’t need to do anything to prepare the meter to ensure that the CONTOUR^®NEXT range of meters are correctly calibrated.
• Effect of temperature or lighting conditions – Extremes of temperature or exposure to light may produce inaccurate readings. We have designed our CONTOUR^®NEXT test strips to have a shelf life of 24 months and stay accurate under a wide variety of conditions including temperature, altitude and humidity. 
• Testing technique – It’s important that meters are easy to use to minimise errors⁷. For example squeezing the blood sample site may result in inaccurate results. With our CONTOUR^®NEXT test strips they take a tiny sample size, helping you to get the right amount of blood on your first try. If you didn’t get enough on the first go, the CONTOUR^®NEXT test strips also have Second-Chance^™ sampling, which allows you to add more blood to the same strip to help avoid the need for repeat finger pricking.
• Meter not cleaned correctly – some meters on the market, may produce inactive results if they are not cleaned correctly. With the CONTOUR^®NEXT range of meter blood is easily sipped into the test strip itself with no blood entering the meter during the testing process. This means that there is no need for internal cleaning of our meters.
• Dirty hands – dirty hands can affect blood glucose meter results. That is why it is important to wash your hands with warm soapy water before testing.

¹ International Organisation for Standardisation. In-vitro diagnostic test systems - requirements for blood-glucose monitoring systems for self-tFNEXTesting in managing diabetes mellitus. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organisation for Standardization, 2015
³ Data on File. Ascensia Diabetes Care. 
⁴ Harrison, B. et al. Poster presented at the 6th International Conference on Advanced Technologies and Treatments for Diabetes. Paris, France, 27 February – 2 March, 2013.
⁵ CONTOUR^®NEXT LINK, Data on File. Ascensia Diabetes Care UK Limited 
⁶ Barry H. Ginsberg, M.D., Ph.D. et.al. Factors Affecting Blood Glucose Monitoring: Sources of Errors in Measurement, J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2009 Jul; 3(4): 903–913.
⁷ Tonyushkina M.D et. al. Glucose Meters: A Review of Technical Challenges to Obtaining Accurate Results, J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2009 Jul; 3(4): 971–980.
⁸ CONTOUR^®NEXT test strips with GDH-FAD chemistry cross react with xylose. Do not use CONTOUR^®NEXT test strips during or shortly after a xylose absorption text
⁹ Harrison B, et al. Poster presented at the International Clinical Diabetes Technology Meeting of the Diabetes Technology Society (DTS). Los Angeles, California, 20-21 April, 2012 
¹⁰ Department of Health evaluation, best practice. A guide to blood glucose meters in the UK market, 2015. 11 Bailey T et al. Performance evaluation of the CONTOUR^® blood glucose monitoring system, with an updated meter algorithm, in the hands of users. Abstract 58. Presented at the 8th International Conference on Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes (ATTD); 18-21 February 2015; Paris, France.