To test or not to test? Blood glucose monitoring in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Meetoo, D; Wong, L

Abstract

Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is considered an essential component of diabetes self-management. However, research has yielded mixed results regarding the value of this technology for people with type 2 diabetes mellitus who are not treated with insulin. Some studies have demonstrated no benefit, whereas others have shown improved HbA1c outcome and behaviour change linked to SMBG. When used appropriately, SMBG can help to identify factors associated with hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia, facilitate learning, and empower people with diabetes to make changes to improve their glycaemic control. SMBG can also be useful to healthcare providers, who can teach individuals to monitor glucose at specific times to assess the effectiveness of medications and guide medication management. There remains an argument that as in type 1 diabetes, all people with type 2 diabetes should be given the opportunity to learn about the value of and skills required to monitor blood glucose as appropriate to their specific needs.

Citation

Meetoo, D., & Wong, L. (2017). To test or not to test? Blood glucose monitoring in type 2 diabetes mellitus. British Journal of Healthcare Management, 23(3), 96-101. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjhc.2017.23.3.96

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Mar 16, 2017
• Deposit Date: Jan 3, 2018
• Journal: British Journal of Healthcare Management
• Print ISSN: 1358-0574
• Publisher: MA Healthcare
• Volume: 23
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 96-101
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.12968/bjhc.2017.23.3.96
• Keywords: Health Policy, Leadership and Management
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.12968/bjhc.2017.23.3.96
• Related Public URLs: https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/toc/bjhc/current