Endocrine Abstracts

Aim: The aim of this study was to estimate the frequency of SMBG among patients attending a tertiary care hospital and to evaluate the impact of SMBG on glycemic control in participants with diabetes mellitus.

Method: A random sample of 174 patients was selected for accrual in the study from the diabetic clinic of Nishtar Medical College Hospital Multan. Patients were interviewed using a structured questionnaire to elicit information about their self management practices and behaviors. Haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was measured from a capillary blood sample. Data was analyzed using SPSS 16 to determine the relationship between SMBG and glycemic control.

Results: Most of the patients (96.9%) of the patients recognized the importance of self management in the control of diabetes. Compliance with medication was reported by 95.5% of the patients, regular exercise was performed by 65.2% patients, dietary modification was practiced by 62.0% patients, while self monitoring of blood glucose was done by 64.2% of the individuals enrolled in the study. Younger participants with college education and those taking insulin were more likely to perform SMBG with no effect of gender. Multivariable linear regression analysis revealed that regular SMBG was associated with a lower HbA1c after adjusting for age, sex and insulin use, P=0.005. Performing SMBG was also associated with greater statistically significant odds of having good glycemic control (HbA1c >7%), P=0.04. Self reported barriers to optimal self care included cost and access to healthcare, social factors, other health conditions and family problems.

Conclusion: The results of this study show that SMBG is associated with improvement in glycemic control.