Lactation is a special transition period for women’s physiology and psychology, and the existence of diabetes mellitus brings serious challenges to maternal and child health management during this period. The traditional blood glucose monitoring model is difficult to meet the dynamic care needs of lactation due to its long cycle and complex process. Point-of-care testing (POCT) equipment is reshaping the clinical practice of diabetic lactation care with its rapid, convenient and accurate technical characteristics, becoming the “invisible guardian” of maternal and infant health.
1. Multiple physiological effects of diabetes on lactation
The impact of diabetes on lactating women involves multiple physiological dimensions:
01 Glucose metabolism disorder: the levels of prolactin, growth hormone and other glucose-raising hormones increase during lactation, which will antagonize insulin action and lead to increased blood glucose fluctuation. The study showed that peak 2-hour postprandial blood glucose was 37% higher in lactating women with diabetes than in non-lactating women, and the time to return to normal levels was more than twice as long.
02 Changes in milk composition: in the state of hyperglycemia, the glucose content in milk can be increased by 2-3 times, and the proportion of fat and protein is unbalanced, which may affect the metabolic development of infants. A study of 120 lactating women with diabetes found that their milk contained significantly higher levels of lactose than healthy controls, which may increase the risk of long-term obesity in infants.
Risk of maternal and infant safety: Uncontrolled hyperglycemia can increase the risk of mastitis and infection in lactating women, and may lead to complications such as neonatal hypoglycemia and hyperbilirubinemia. The data showed that the incidence of hypoglycemia in infants born to diabetic mothers was 4.2 times higher than that of healthy mothers.
04 Superposition of psychological stress: physical fatigue and parenting stress caused by lactation itself, coupled with concerns about blood glucose control, make diabetic women more prone to anxiety, depression and other psychological problems, and poor psychological state will further aggravate blood glucose fluctuations, forming a vicious circle. glucose monitor
2. Evolution of POCT equipment in the management of lactation diabetes
The application of POCT equipment in the management of diabetes during lactation has gone through three stages of development:
The initial stage (2000-2010) : portable blood glucose meter was used as the core to achieve rapid detection of blood glucose concentration, which solved the problem of long detection cycle in traditional laboratories. However, data management relied on manual records and lacked effective connection with clinical decision-making.
02 Development stage (2011-2020) : the degree of equipment intelligence was improved, with data storage, trend analysis and other functions. Some devices could be connected with mobile APP to realize real-time synchronization and preliminary analysis of blood glucose data. At this stage, POCT equipment began to change from “a single detection tool” to “management assistance tool”.
03 Innovation stage (2021-present) : With the integration of the Internet of things and artificial intelligence technology, POCT devices have realized deep docking with the hospital information system (HIS/LIS), which can automatically upload test data and receive clinical guidance. Some high-end devices also have blood glucose prediction functions, which can predict hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia events in advance according to diet, exercise and other factors, and provide personalized care plans for lactating women.
3. The key role of quality assurance system in POCT equipment management
The clinical value of POCT equipment depends on the accuracy of test results, and a perfect quality assurance system is the core to ensure the stability of equipment performance:
Equipment life cycle management: the whole process control from selection, calibration to maintenance and decommissioning is the basis of POCT equipment quality. It is necessary to focus on verifying the precision (CV < 3%), anti-interference ability (such as the influence of hemoglobin and bilirubin on the test results < 5%) and data traceability of the equipment during selection. In daily management, the calibration cycle recommended by the manufacturer should be strictly followed (for example, the blood glucose analyzer should be calibrated once every quarter), and the equipment ledger and maintenance record should be established.
02 Standardized operating procedures: the development and strict implementation of standard operating procedures (Sops) is the key to reduce human errors. The operation process should cover all aspects of sample collection (such as avoiding forcing the blood collection site), equipment use (such as test strip insertion depth and blood suction time), and result review (such as the review process of abnormal results). After the implementation of standardized operation, the consistency between POCT blood glucose test results and laboratory biochemical methods increased from 82% to 96%.
Personnel capacity building: POCT equipment operators are mainly clinical nurses and patients themselves, so it is necessary to establish a hierarchical training system. For medical staff, it is necessary to carry out systematic training such as equipment principle, operation specification and quality control. For patients, it is necessary to provide easy-to-understand operation guidance and common problem solving solutions. After the training, the theoretical and practical tests should be passed to ensure that the operators have the corresponding ability.
04 Quality control system: Strict internal quality control and external quality assessment are important means to ensure the reliability of test results. Internal quality control should be carried out daily, quality control chart should be drawn and the causes of loss of control should be analyzed in time. The EQA should be conducted once every six months to compare the deviation between the results of our institution and the mean value of the same group to ensure the accuracy and comparability of the test results. home use blood glucose meter
4. POCT equipment can improve the clinical outcome of lactation diabetes and the health of infants
Clinical use of POCT devices has resulted in significant health benefits for lactating women with diabetes and infants:
01 More accurate blood glucose control: POCT devices support high-frequency blood glucose monitoring (4-7 times per day), which can more accurately capture blood glucose fluctuations and provide a basis for diet adjustment and drug treatment. In lactating diabetic women who used the POCT device, the rate of glycemic control (fasting blood glucose 3.9-5.3mmol/L, 2-hour postprandial blood glucose < 7.8mmol/L) increased from 61% to 88%.
Reduction of maternal and infant complications: precise blood glucose control effectively reduces the risk of maternal and infant complications. The data showed that women in the POCT group had a 47% lower incidence of mastitis, a 62% lower incidence of neonatal hypoglycemia, and a 53% lower incidence of hyperbilirubinemia.
The convenience of POCT equipment reduces the number of trips to and from the hospital for lactating women, saving time and energy. At the same time, real-time data feedback enhances the self-management confidence of patients. A patient satisfaction survey showed that nursing satisfaction of lactating women with diabetes who used POCT equipment increased from 72 to 94 points.
04 Long-term health benefits: Good blood glucose control during lactation can not only help women regain postpartum weight, reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, but also reduce the incidence of long-term obesity, insulin resistance and other metabolic diseases in infants. glucose meter kit
In the future, the development of POCT equipment in the field of diabetic lactation care will show the following trends:
01 Multi-parameter integrated detection: In addition to blood glucose, future POCT devices may integrate the detection of various metabolic parameters such as glycosylated hemoglobin, ketone bodies, and insulin to provide more comprehensive information for diabetes management.
02 Artificial intelligence assisted decision-making: multi-dimensional information such as blood glucose data, diet records, and exercise is analyzed by machine learning algorithms to achieve blood glucose prediction and personalized treatment plan recommendation, and further improve the accuracy of care.
Deep integration of telemedicine: POCT devices will be more closely integrated with the telemedicine platform to realize real-time transmission of blood glucose data, online guidance and intervention of doctors, and provide quality medical services especially for patients in remote areas.
Integrated management of maternal and child health: future research will pay more attention to the application of POCT equipment in integrated management of maternal and child health, and build a better care system by monitoring maternal blood glucose, milk composition and infant growth and development indicators.
With its unique technical advantages, POCT equipment is reshaping the clinical model of diabetic lactation care. From a single blood glucose detection tool to a comprehensive health management platform, POCT devices not only improve the efficiency and quality of diabetic lactation care, but also become the “invisible guardian” to protect the health of mothers and children. In the future, with the continuous innovation of technology and the deepening of research, POCT devices will play a more important role in the field of diabetes management and bring the well-being of more patients. diabetes glucose monitor
Post time: Feb-26-2026