What makes people with diabetes measure their own blood glucose?

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Abstract
Despite being ‘taught’ the importance of self monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) in the tight control of diabetes, significant numbers of patients with diabetes either never start doing SMBG or abandon it. This paper describes a qualitative study aimed at exploring any attitudinal differences amongst 48 patients, all of whom were taking insulin for their diabetes, but of whom 28 could be defined as carrying out SMBG and 20 as not. The two main findings were that: (a) there are strong and identifiable differences between the groups; and (b) these differences are predominantly psychological rather than mechanical in nature—that is, the usually ascribed reasons for poor testing frequency (such as messiness and soreness), do not apply to non‐testers. The central message was that testers make a direct connection between SMBG and diabetic control, while non‐testers do not. We need therefore to devise ways of teaching SMBG which convey this connection.