Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Mar 1;4(2):435-9.
doi: 10.1177/193229681000400225.

Self-monitoring of blood glucose: practical aspects

Julienne K Kirk  1 , Jane Stegner
Affiliations

Self-monitoring of blood glucose: practical aspects

Julienne K Kirk et al. J Diabetes Sci Technol. .

Abstract

Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) should be part of a regular management plan for patients with diabetes. Self-monitoring of blood glucose provides information regarding an individual's dynamic blood glucose profile. This information can help with the appropriate scheduling of food, activity, and medication. It is also required for understanding of the timing of blood glucose variations. Lack of regular SMBG predicts hospitalization for diabetes-related complications. Self-monitoring of blood glucose is an essential tool for people with diabetes who are taking insulin or for those who experience fluctuations in their blood glucose levels, especially hypoglycemia. Application of practical aspects that aid in easy management of SMBG makes the task of checking blood glucose more achievable. For patients taking insulin and adjusting their dose, SMBG is needed for self-management. For others receiving oral medication, profiling glucose trends and the confirmation of high or low blood glucose can be a useful addendum to successful management.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Consensus statement on self-monitoring of blood glucose. Diabetes Care. 1987;10(1):95–99. - PubMed
    1. American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes 2010. Diabetes Care. 2010;33(Suppl 1):S11–S61. - PMC - PubMed
    1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy people 2010: objectives for improving health. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. 2000.
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Blood glucose daily self-monitoring: rate of daily self-monitoring among adults with diabetes aged 18 years and older, 1997–2006. http://www.cdc.gov/DataStatistics/2007/bloodglucose/. Accessed September 17, 2009.
    1. Burge MR. Lack of compliance with home blood glucose monitoring predicts hospitalization in diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2001;24(8):1502–1503. - PubMed