Glucose self-monitoring unnecessary in non-insulin treated diabetics
A lack of improvement in HbA1c compared with patients who monitor glucose indicates that monitoring should not be routine, according to new research.
Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) may be unnecessary in patients with non-insulin-treated type 2 diabetes, according to the results of a Monitor trial published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
The open-label trial showed no clinically or statistically significant difference in glycemic control at one year in patients who performed SMBG measurements and those who did not. In addition, a group that performed SMBG with tailored feedback messaging had no benefits compared with no SMBG.
“Patients and providers have to consider each unique situation as they determine whether home blood glucose monitoring is appropriate,” researcher Katrina Donahue, MD, MPH, senior distinguished professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told Medical Economics. “However, the study’s results suggest that self-monitoring of blood glucose in non-insulin treated type 2 diabetes has limited utility.”
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