I have found the Hemocue to be VERY technique sensitive. There are several ways to reduce technique error. 1. Always vigorously clean the finger off to remove oils, lotions and sweat. 2. Make sure the alcohol dries completely. 3. After the stick, wipe away a minimum of three drops before drawing the sample. It is tempting to take the first drop, especially with a cold finger. Don't do it. 4. Make sure you have a large drop when you finally take your sample. 5. Do not touch the microcuvette onto the finger, only dip the beak into the drop. 6. Fill the microcuvette in one motion. Do not lift the "beak" until full. 7. If the fill area is not complete, discard the microcuvette and fill a new one. Do not attempt to "top off" by redipping. This is a sure way to get a low reading. 8. Keep the platform clean. Wipe the "cheeks" and the "beak" before sliding the microcuvette into the reader. 9. Have a different person perform the recheck on a low reading to eliminate technique issues. 10. Don't overclean the optical reader. Only clean with the swab when you get an error report telling you to. Before learning all these tricks, I was getting about three rejects a week that were found to be low on recheck by a different person. Now, if I get a low Hgb, it is low on the recheck by another. Rani Stoddard
