BMJ 2003;326:103 ( 11 January )

Letters

Involving patients can work in home blood glucose testing

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR---According to the paper by Gray et al, the single biggest cost of implementing intensive control of blood glucose concentrations in type 2 diabetes relates to the use of home blood glucose monitoring.1 This is surprising.

Firstly, currently evidence and agreement are lacking on the role of home blood glucose monitoring in type 2 diabetes.

Secondly, for newly diagnosed patients, home blood glucose monitoring does not offer any particular advantage compared with urine testing.2

Thirdly, actual usage of blood glucose strips by patients is much less than the reality of the situation.3

Fourthly, suggestions have been made of an inverse relation between the frequency of blood testing in type 2 diabetes and achieved concentrations of glycated haemoglobin.4

We have adopted a new approach in Bournemouth for patients with type 2 diabetes in whom home blood glucose monitoring is indicated (patients with altered renal threshold for glucose, those at risk of hypoglycaemia, . . . [Full text of this article]
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Relevant Article

Implementing intensive control of blood glucose concentration and blood pressure in type 2 diabetes in England: cost analysis (UKPDS 63)
Alastair Gray, Philip Clarke, Andrew Farmer, and Rury Holman
BMJ 2002 325: 860. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Sims, P. A, Barber, S G, McLennan, J. L, Strachan, J. (2003). Overseas members of the BMA. BMJ 326: 932-932 [Full text]  
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