the effect of hematocrit, galactose, and ascorbic acid on blood glucose levels: an experimental study in three point-of-care tests

Point-of-care testing (poct) blood glucose devices are crucial in hospitals (icus/ers) due to their portability, automation, and ease of use. however, the sensitivity of these devices is susceptible to interference from substances such as hematocrit, galactose, and ascorbic acid. this cross-sectional experimental study aimed to analyze the effects of hematocrit, galactose, and ascorbic acid on blood glucose levels using three poct devices (glucose oxidase method: statstrip; and dehydrogenase method: rightest and accu-chek inform ii), compared to the hexokinase reference method (alinity). the study was conducted from august–december 2023 using 81 samples from 18 healthy male subjects. spearman test results showed a significant relationship between the levels of these interfering substances and blood glucose levels across all devices (p = 0.000). comparison with the reference method showed that the glucose oxidase device (statstrip) had the best agreement, with a correlation value (r) of 0.993 (average bias range: -1.8242 to 2.7847), followed by rightest. among the tested devices, glucose oxidase method (statstrip) demonstrated the most consistent performance across all interference conditions in detecting glucose levels, whereas dehydrogenase method (rightest and accu-check inform ii) exhibited variable results depending on the type of interference.