Why Don Ascensia Test Strips Have to be Coded?
Unlike most glucose meters, Ascensia Contour test strips and meters are self-calibrating. Ascensia’s “no coding” claim isn’t that no coding is involved, but that it doesn’t have to be done manually. While most test strips require the user to enter a code, insert a coding strip, or insert a chip into the glucose meter, Ascensia meters automatically calibrate by checking the strip electronically when it is inserted into the meter, and the Bayer company, which makes the Ascensia Contour and Ascensia Breeze meter, claims that it cannot be miscoded using this system. Should I Switch? The study did not find significant accuracy discrepancy between Ascensia meters and other brands of meters when the devices were coded correctly. The reason for ADS’s endorsement has almost everything to do with the frequency of human error. If the meter is coded improperly, the results could be potentially dangerous; if the user is careful to double check when switching boxes, he or she shouldn’t have any sign
