Strip electrode with screen printing

A single use disposable electrode strip for attachment to the signal readout circuitry of a sensor to detect a current representative of the concentration of a compound in a drop of a whole blood sample comprising:

• a) an elongated support having a substantially flat, planar surface, adapted for releasable attachment to said readout circuitry;
• b) a first conductor extending along said surface and comprising a conductive element for connection to said readout circuitry;
• c) an active electrode on said strip in electrical contact with said first conductor and positioned to contact said whole blood sample;
• d) a second conductor extending along said surface comprising a conductive element for connection to said read out circuitry;
• and
• e) a reference counterelectrode in electrical contact with said second conductor and positioned to contact said whole blood sample,
• wherein said active electrode is configured to be exposed to said whole blood sample without an intervening membrane or other whole blood filtering member and is formed by coating a portion of the first conductor with a mixture of or layers of an enzyme which catalyzes a redox reaction with said compound in whole blood and a mediator compound which transfers electrons from said redox reaction to said first conductor to create a current representative of the concentration of said compound in said whole blood sample;
• and wherein said active electrode which is formed on a portion of said conductor is not in electrical contact with said reference counterelectrode but these electrodes are so dimensioned and positioned that they can be simultaneously completely covered by a single drop of whole blood such that this drop provides an electrical path between these electrodes to support said current representative of the concentration of said compound in said whole blood sample.