A new study in the online version of the British Medical Journal opines that better advice on home blood glucose monitoring is needed for patients with non-insulin dependent (type 2) diabetes.
Some experts believe that daily self monitoring helps to control blood glucose levels and it is often recommended.
But others believe that self monitoring is complex and inconvenient and can lead to feelings of frustration and guilt. As such, there is still no firm agreement about the role and value of self monitoring for patients with type 2 diabetes.
Upper Trunk Fat Increases the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Fat deposits on chest and back increase the risk of insulin resistance which leads to type2 diabetes.
Advertisement
So Dr Elizabeth Peel and colleagues interviewed 18 patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes over four years to explore their views about self monitoring over time.
They found that self monitoring decreased over time, and those who did continue monitoring did so less frequently. Some patients expressed uncertainty about the meaning of the test results and how to act on them, while others found self monitoring to be reassuring.
![Drinking More Milk may Lessen Type 2 Diabetes Risk]( "Drinking More Milk may Lessen Type 2 Diabetes Risk")
A new research has found that combination of calcium and vitamin D may offer protection against type 2 diabetes.
How to act on high readings was a consistent problem.
Most patients also voiced concerns about the value health professionals placed on their readings. Doctors generally appeared to show little interest in patients' test results after the initial phase, leading some patients to see self monitoring as not very important or even pointless.
Interestingly, some patients continued to self monitor despite lack of guidance and the perceived disinterest from health professionals.
Clinical uncertainty about the role of self monitoring in patients with type 2 diabetes is mirrored in patients' own accounts, say the authors. Patients tended not to act on their self monitoring results, in part because of a lack of education and dialogue about the appropriate response to readings.
They urge health professionals to be explicit about whether and when such patients should self monitor and how they should interpret and act upon the results, especially high readings.
Source: Eurekalert
JAY/C
Drinking More Milk may Lessen Type 2 Diabetes Risk
A new research has found that combination of calcium and vitamin D may offer protection against type 2 diabetes.
Advertisement
How to act on high readings was a consistent problem.
Most patients also voiced concerns about the value health professionals placed on their readings. Doctors generally appeared to show little interest in patients' test results after the initial phase, leading some patients to see self monitoring as not very important or even pointless.
Interestingly, some patients continued to self monitor despite lack of guidance and the perceived disinterest from health professionals.
Clinical uncertainty about the role of self monitoring in patients with type 2 diabetes is mirrored in patients' own accounts, say the authors. Patients tended not to act on their self monitoring results, in part because of a lack of education and dialogue about the appropriate response to readings.
They urge health professionals to be explicit about whether and when such patients should self monitor and how they should interpret and act upon the results, especially high readings.
Source: Eurekalert
JAY/C
Advertisement
Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest Diabetes News
Physical activity or exercise in the morning and afternoon reduces type 2 diabetes risk, whereas evening exercise has no such association.
Late sleepers and late risers may both have a higher risk of developing diabetes.
Semaglutide, the anti-diabetic drug operating by stimulating insulin secretion, might have the potential to supplant the need for mealtime insulin injections.
The gut bacteria known as Lachnospiraceae might have the ability to boost insulin sensitivity, potentially providing a protective barrier against diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes-led cardiovascular risk needs mandatory interdisciplinary, patient-centered care to reduce morbidity and mortality.
