Self-Blood Glucose Monitoring Practices

Abstract

Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is a major advance in diabetes care, but questions remain about its exact role in type 2 diabetes (1). Studies conducted in large clinical practices have shown a positive association between SMBG frequency and good glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, few attempts to describe the relationship between monitoring and glycemic control have looked beyond the frequency of testing to determine whether patients clearly understood their target values and how they respond to the information obtained from monitoring (2–4). In a collaborative effort, the Great Falls Clinic and the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services surveyed a random sample of current patients with diabetes (815 of 1,234 patients were selected) by telephone in October 2002, to assess their diabetes care. Respondents were asked if they were currently taking insulin and/or oral antihyperglycemic medications and were classified into three groups: those using insulin with or without oral antihyperglycemic agents, those taking oral therapies only, and those not currently taking any diabetes medications. Respondents were also asked about SMBG, “About how often do you check your blood for glucose or sugar?” (the response categories for this question were the number of times per day, week, month, or year, or don’t know/not sure, never, and refused to answer). Respondents reporting any SMBG were then asked, “What do you do with your blood glucose or sugar readings …