JPINFV
Gadfly
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Our BLS crews have glucometers for that reason. Of course now they use them for everything, which is stupid. Every drunk passed on out on the sidewalk gets his BG checked. Drives me nuts.
When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything tends to look like a nail. When the only tool you have is a glucometer, everyone tends to look like a hypoglycemic.
On the other hand, imagine the outrage when that drunk actually is hypoglycemic? Provided appropriate education, I see nothing wrong with a finger stick as a part of a normal workup for any ALOC, even if the etiology seems clear. However, as with any other lab value, the context of the results needs to be understood. If a paramedic or the ED is going to get a BGL for a patient, an EMT who has been approved to use a glucometer should be getting one as well.