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Benefits of Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose

Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) helps people with diabetes better manage their condition by providing information about their blood glucose levels, which often fluctuate. Measuring blood glucose gives patients data to make changes to diet, exercise, and medications as needed to keep levels in a target range. When blood glucose is checked at specific times, like after meals or during exercise, patients learn how different factors affect them and how to adjust. Sharing results with healthcare providers also helps providers tailor treatment plans and education.

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10 views2 pages

Benefits of Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose

Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) helps people with diabetes better manage their condition by providing information about their blood glucose levels, which often fluctuate. Measuring blood glucose gives patients data to make changes to diet, exercise, and medications as needed to keep levels in a target range. When blood glucose is checked at specific times, like after meals or during exercise, patients learn how different factors affect them and how to adjust. Sharing results with healthcare providers also helps providers tailor treatment plans and education.

Uploaded by

debabrata5976
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

HOW DOES SELF-MONITORING OF BLOOD GLUCOSE HELP IN MANAGING DIABETES?

It is important for people with diabetes to know what their blood glucose levels are. These levels will often fluctuate throughout the day and day to day due to the normal variations in life. The ONLY way for people with diabetes to know how well they are managing their diabetes on a day-to-day basis is by checking their own blood glucose levels with a meter. Primarily, measuring their blood glucose level gives a patient the information they need to better manage their diabetes. Once they have this information, if their blood glucose is not in the desired target range, they can take action and make the changes necessary to correct this issue. The 2008 Clinical Practical Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Diabetes advises that most people with diabetes can benefit from SMBG. Benefits can include improvement in A1C, avoidance and better identification of hypoglycemia, and increased flexibility in lifestyle. These benefits are further enhanced when individuals are prepared and know how to properly adjust their dietary choices, physical activity and medications, if appropriate, in response to blood glucose values. 5 The following table illustrates how knowledge of blood glucose levels at specific times or in certain situations can be beneficial to a patient.

If a person wants to know They can


How to stop their blood glucose from going higher. How their diabetes medicine is affecting their blood glucose. How food is affecting their blood glucose. How physical activity or exercise is affecting their blood glucose. Have a regular schedule for checking their blood glucose after meals and learn what changes are needed in food, exercise and medication(s) to bring their blood glucose into the target range. Learn about the action of their diabetes medication(s) and check their blood glucose at the peak action time. Check before a meal and 1 2 hours after the meal. Check before, during and for several hours following the activity. Check their blood glucose. If it is too high or too low, this may be the reason. Otherwise, they need to consider other reasons for not feeling well.

If their blood glucose level is the reason they are not feeling well.

If they are having a hypoglycemic (low blood glucose) event.

Check their blood glucose. If it is lower than 4 mmol/L, they should take action right away and treat for low blood glucose.

The results of SMBG are also helpful for healthcare providers. When people can share their knowledge of their blood glucose levels with their healthcare providers, the healthcare provider is better able to adjust meal plans and medications to promote more optimal management of diabetes and is also better able to identify what is important when teaching people about their diabetes management.

KEY POINT: Simply checking blood glucose does not improve diabetes
management. It is the action that the person takes based on their results that can improve overall wellness. This makes checking after meals particularly important.

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