Are you cleaning glucometers properly?
Cleaning Glucometers
Appropriate cleaning or disinfecting of glucometers in long-term care facilities is cited in the CMS State Operations Manual under F-Tag 441 infection control guidelines. There are a wide variety of glucometers in use in the various facilities and each has its own cleaning requirements per the manufacturer. Glucometer cleaning should take place prior to and immediately after each use to prevent the spread of pathogens from blood or body fluids like Hepatitis and Tuberculosis. Failure to clean the glucometer may result in a citation of the highest severity (immediate jeopardy). In cases where the manufacturer has no cleaning recommendations, use of an EPA-registered high-level disinfectant is the standard. A list of EPA-registered disinfectants can be found at http://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/selected-epa-registered-disinfectants.
Below are recommended disinfecting procedures for commonly used glucometers:
| Meter | Recommended Cleaning |
|
FreeStyle Freedom Lite FreeStyle Lite Precision Xtra |
Apply an EPA-Registered disinfectant per product directions |
|
WaveSense Jazz WaveSense KeyNote WaveSense KeyNote Pro WaveSense Presto WaveSense Presto Pro |
Use mild soap and water, 70% iso-propyl alcohol (IPA), or 1:10 diluted bleach solution; wipe front and back with soft damp cloth
|
|
Glucocard 01 Glucocard 01-mini Glucocard X-Meter |
Clean outside of meter using a lint free cloth dampened with soapy water or IPADisinfecting-1:10 dilution of water and bleach (or bleach wipe), dampen a paper towel and thoroughly wipe down the meter or use Super Sani-Cloth® & Sani-Cloth® HB Germicidal disposable wipes |
|
Breeze2 Contour Contour TS |
Clean exterior with lint free tissue moistened with 1:10 bleach/water disinfectant, wipe dry
|
|
Advocate Advocate Duo Advocate Redi-Code |
Disinfection with bleach solution
|
|
Eclipse Element Envision Evolution GlucoLab |
Apply an EPA-Registered disinfectant per product directions |
|
One Touch Ultra 2 One Touch UltraMini One Touch UltraLink One Touch UltraSmart |
Apply an EPA-Registered disinfectant per product directions |
|
Nova Max Nova Max Link |
Use a damp cloth with alcohol, avoid the face of the meter
|
|
Accu-Chek Aviva Accu-Chek Compact Plus Accu-Chek Advantage |
Cloth with warm soapy water or 70% IPA Disinfecting-10% bleach/water solution made fresh daily or purchase a bleach cloth/ disinfecting wipe
|
|
Acura EasyGluco Infinity Maxima |
Use any disinfectant on the outside of the meter, Clorox wipe, alcohol pad; avoid getting products in the meter
|
References: CMS State Operations Manual; Glucometer product manuals.
This article was originally published in our monthly issue of From the Front Lines – a monthly publication that shares best practices and medication-related challenges faced by “front line” staff in long-term care and post-acute (LTCPAC) facilities.
