On this page
Asset Type
Manufacturer
Model
What This Guide Helps With
Power failures caused by depleted battery, charging problems, poor contacts, dock issues, contamination, physical damage, or service-level electrical faults.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
1. Protect Patient Care
Immediately replace a meter that shuts down or restarts during patient testing with another verified device.
Do not continue troubleshooting an unreliable meter while a patient result is needed.
Expected outcome: Patient testing continues without dependence on unstable equipment.
2. Confirm the Power Symptom
Determine whether the meter is completely dead, powers on only while docked, restarts randomly, restarts when a strip is inserted, or shuts down during testing.
Expected outcome: The failure pattern is clearly defined.
3. Inspect for Physical or Liquid Damage
Check the housing, display, battery area, charging contacts, and strip-port area for cracks, impact damage, moisture, corrosion, residue, swelling, heat damage, or odor.
Expected outcome: No obvious unsafe physical condition is present.
If liquid intrusion, swelling, overheating, or significant damage is found, stop troubleshooting and remove the meter from service.
4. Check Battery Condition and Installation
Verify that the battery is correctly installed and that accessible battery contacts are clean and undamaged.
Do not open sealed battery assemblies.
Expected outcome: The battery is correctly seated with no visible damage.
5. Test With a Known-Good Charging Location
Place the meter on a known-good compatible StatStrip docking station or charging location.
Observe whether the meter shows expected charging or power behavior.
Expected outcome: The meter recognizes external charging power.
6. Compare With Another Meter
Place another known-good StatStrip on the same dock.
If the second meter also fails to charge or power correctly, investigate the dock or its power source.
Expected outcome: The fault is isolated to either the meter or charging infrastructure.
7. Allow Adequate Charging
If the battery was depleted, allow charging according to approved facility and manufacturer practice before retesting.
Do not repeatedly attempt patient testing on a meter with unstable power.
Expected outcome: The meter powers on and remains stable after charging.
8. Perform Controlled Operational Testing
Once adequately charged, power the meter on and navigate normal user-accessible functions.
Insert an approved strip and perform permitted functional or control testing.
Expected outcome: The meter remains powered throughout normal operation.
9. Verify Restart Behavior
Observe the meter during repeated approved tests and while transitioning on and off the dock.
Expected outcome: No unexpected shutdowns, resets, or boot cycles occur.
If stable operation is demonstrated, troubleshooting may stop.
10. Remove From Service for Continued Instability
If the meter will not power on or restarts despite known-good charging infrastructure and adequate battery charge, stop external troubleshooting.
Expected outcome: An electrically unreliable meter is kept out of patient care.
If the Problem Persists
External charging, docking, battery seating, and visible contamination causes have been ruled out. Remaining possibilities include battery failure, charging-circuit problems, internal power faults, software instability, or other service-level defects.
The meter should be:
- Removed from service.
- Labeled Out of Service.
- Sent for repair or bench evaluation.
- Evaluated using appropriate Nova Biomedical documentation and approved test equipment.
- Repaired only by qualified personnel.
- Fully tested for stable operation before return to service.
Repeated restarting during glucose testing is sufficient reason to stop and escalate.
Clinical Use Tip
A meter that resets during a test cannot be trusted to complete patient identification, testing, or result transmission reliably.
Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)
CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution
Complaint
What was reported by the clinical staff.
Example:
"Nursing reported that the StatStrip restarted intermittently while performing glucose tests."
Cause
What was observed during troubleshooting.
Example:
"Clinical Engineering found the meter battery was not maintaining reliable power even when charged on a verified docking station."
Resolution
What action was taken.
Example:
"The meter was removed from service and sent for qualified repair, then passed repeated power and functional testing before return to service."
Helpful Details to Include (If Known)
- Completely dead or intermittent
- Battery condition
- Charging indication
- Dock tested
- Known-good meter comparison
- Physical or liquid damage
- Heat or odor
- Restart trigger
- Control-test results
- Final power-stability status
Final Thought
Maintain testing continuity, rule out charging and battery-related causes first, never ignore unexplained resets, and return the meter to service only after stable operation is demonstrated and documented.
That is successful troubleshooting.