Assisted monitoring of blood glucose: special safety needs for a new paradigm in testing glucose.

The term “assisted monitoring of blood glucose” (AMBG) is a new paradigm in blood glucose testing and is introduced in this editorial. Assisted monitoring of blood glucose is similar to self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), but unlike SMBG for which patients perform the monitoring, AMBG is performed for a patient with diabetes by a health care provider or other caregiver. Assisted and self-monitoring both have had long traditions in practice, but it is important that AMBG be recognized more broadly as a distinct concept in order to address safety concerns. In many instances, the equipment and processes that are appropriate for an individual performing SMBG are not appropriate in an AMBG setting. The primary reason for this is the ever-present risk of transmitting bloodborne viruses between individuals who are having capillary blood sampled and tested. This risk is heightened when finger-stick lancing devices, blood glucose meters, or other equipment are used for multiple patients.