Os glicosímetros permitem que a medição da glicemia seja realizada pelo próprio usuário sem alterar a sua rotina de vida. Dois princípios são utilizados para mensurar o nível de glicemia no sangue: o fotométrico e o amperométrico. No princípio fotométrico, após reações bioquímicas com a amostra de sangue venoso capilar, a glicemia é avaliada pela mudança de comprimento de onda de um feixe de luz padrão. No princípio amperométrico, após reações bioquímicas com a amostra de sangue venoso capilar, é avaliada a intensidade de corrente elétrica que circula pela amostra, sendo proporcional a glicemia. Os glicosímetros disponíveis no mercado utilizam um dos dois princípios. O equipamento utilizado pelos laboratórios de análises bioquímicas utiliza o princípio fotométrico com amostras de sangue venoso coletadas do antebraço do paciente. Este trabalho foi aprovado pelo comitê de ética e avalia de forma pareada um conjunto de medidas de glicemia realizadas com vários glicosímetros disponíveis no mercado e um equipamento laboratorial. Os resultados apresentaram forte correlação entre as medições dos glicosímetros e o equipamento laboratorial, mas com erros sistemáticos e aleatórios elevados. Com os resultados obtidos confirma-se que o glicosímetro pode ser utilizado para monitoramento individual de glicemia, mas não pode ser utilizado para fins de diagnóstico / The glucometer allows the measurement of glycemia to be performed by the user without hindering his daily routine. Two principles are used to measure the level of blood glycemia: photometric and amperometric. On the photometric principle, after biochemical reactions with the sample obtained from capillary venous blood, the glycemia is measured by changing the wavelength of a light beam pattern. On the amperometric principle, after the biochemical reactions with the capillary venous blood sample, intensity of eletric current flowing through the sample can be measured and evaluated, where the intensity of the electric current is proportional to the blood glycemia level. The glucometers available on the market use one of the mentioned principles. Equipment used by biochemical analysis laboratories do make use of the photometric principle with venous blood samples collected from the patient's forearm. This work, approved by the ethics committee, evaluates a set of glycemia measures made by multiple glucometers and laboratory measuring equipment used by clinical laboratories. Presented results demonstrated a strong correlation between glycemia measures obtained from glucometer and equipment used on biochemical analysis laboratories, but with a high rate of systematic and random errors. With the results, the usage of glucometers can be assured for personal and individual measurement of glycemia, whereas this kind of device cannot be used for diagnosis.

Whilst technology use has always been a part of the practice of health care delivery, more recently, information technology has been applied to aspects of clinical work concerned with documentation. This thesis presents an analysis of the ways that two professional groups, one clinical and one ancillary, at a single hospital cooperatively engage in a work practice that has recently been computerised. It investigates the way that a clinical group???s approach to and actual use of the system creates problems for the ancillary group. It understands these problems to arise from the contrasting ways that the groups position their use of documentation technology in their local definitions of professional status. The data on which analysis of these practices is based includes 16 hours of video recordings of the work practices of the two groups as they engage with the technology in their local work settings as well as video recordings of a reflexive viewing session conducted with participants from the ancillary group. Also included in the analysis are observational field notes, interviews and documentary analysis. The analysis aimed to produce a set of themes grounded in the specifics of the data, and drew on TLSTranscription?? software for the management and classification of video data. This thesis seeks to contribute to three research fields: health informatics, sociology of professions and social science research methodology. In terms of health informatics, this thesis argues for the necessity for health care information technology design to understand and incorporate the work practices of all professional groups who will be involved in using the technology system or whose work will be affected by its introduction. In terms of the sociology of professions, this thesis finds doctors and scientists to belong to two distinct occupational communities that each utilise documentation technology to different extents in their displays of professional competence. Thirdly, in terms of social science research methodology, this thesis speculates about the possibility for viewing the engagement of the groups with the research process as indicative of their reactions to future sources of outside perturbance to their work.

Whilst technology use has always been a part of the practice of health care delivery, more recently, information technology has been applied to aspects of clinical work concerned with documentation. This thesis presents an analysis of the ways that two professional groups, one clinical and one ancillary, at a single hospital cooperatively engage in a work practice that has recently been computerised. It investigates the way that a clinical group???s approach to and actual use of the system creates problems for the ancillary group. It understands these problems to arise from the contrasting ways that the groups position their use of documentation technology in their local definitions of professional status. The data on which analysis of these practices is based includes 16 hours of video recordings of the work practices of the two groups as they engage with the technology in their local work settings as well as video recordings of a reflexive viewing session conducted with participants from the ancillary group. Also included in the analysis are observational field notes, interviews and documentary analysis. The analysis aimed to produce a set of themes grounded in the specifics of the data, and drew on TLSTranscription?? software for the management and classification of video data. This thesis seeks to contribute to three research fields: health informatics, sociology of professions and social science research methodology. In terms of health informatics, this thesis argues for the necessity for health care information technology design to understand and incorporate the work practices of all professional groups who will be involved in using the technology system or whose work will be affected by its introduction. In terms of the sociology of professions, this thesis finds doctors and scientists to belong to two distinct occupational communities that each utilise documentation technology to different extents in their displays of professional competence. Thirdly, in terms of social science research methodology, this thesis speculates about the possibility for viewing the engagement of the groups with the research process as indicative of their reactions to future sources of outside perturbance to their work.