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LETTERS: Monika M Safford and Louise B Russell Self monitoring of blood glucose: the cost to patients BMJ 2008; 336: 1263-a [Full text]

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Self Monitoring of blood glucose: the cost to patients

Michael R Claxton   (18 June 2008)

Self Monitoring of blood glucose: the cost to patients 18 June 2008
Michael R Claxton, Retired Anaesthetist Cygnet, Tasmania, Australia, 7112 Send response to journal: Re: Self Monitoring of blood glucose: the cost to patients	Rarely, if ever, am I moved to write a letter to the editor of a medical journal, but I am unable to let the letter on the above subject from Professors Safford and Russell pass without comment. I am both a doctor and a type 2 diabetic and have been following your articles and letters on type 2 management in your journal. As a retired anaesthetist I am not qualified to comment on the cost benefit to a nation's health service nor whether it leads to an increased incidence of depression. Certainly it does not depress me: rather it keeps me focussed on maintaining the excellent control of my diabetes. I question their comments on the time taken doing the test and extrapolating it into so many paid hours of work per annum and giving it a monetary value. I test on average 10 times per week, taking under 2 minutes per test from opening the kitchen drawer for my glucometer to replacing it - timed! It is not time taken from other useful and essential activities and at a cost. I may be half listening/watching the television news, talking to my wife or, before my evening meal, about to take my first sip of sherry. I find their reasoning quite illogical and bordering on the absurd! Lets keep a sense of perspective in this discussion Competing interests: None declared