Comparison of Different Models of Diabetes Care on Compliance with Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose by Memory Glucometer

The modern management of diabetes relies heavily on self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), and therefore SMBG records are an important source of clinical data for management decision making. The development of a memory Glucometer has provided the opportunity to verify the validity of glucose records thus generated and observe the effects of different educational approaches on compliance with SMBG. Thirty-four patients without previous experience of SMBG were randomized into one of the following experimental groups differing in the model of diabetes care: mutual decision making, didactic, and authoritarian. Patients, unaware of the memory capacity of the glucose meter, were required to perform four glucose measurements per day over a 14-day observation period. Patient-generated blood glucose records were then compared with objective records stored in the glucose-meter memory. Patients with gestational diabetes mellitus recorded a lower proportion of correct results (63 vs. 79%, P = .049) and exhibited a tendency to invent results with lower blood glucose levels (5.3 vs. 7.5 mM, P 2 = 4.56, P 2 = 4.52, P