Question:
I am trying to find out how well diabetic monitor themselves at home and how closely the doctors monitor those tests done at home. Can you give me any direction as to who I might talk to?
Answer:
By monitoring, I will assume we're talking about blood sugar testing. There
are no hard and fast rules about this. In a patient who is well controlled,
stable and well, the frequency of testing may be quite low (perhaps 5 tests
per week) while in someone who is unwell (e.g., with 'flu') it may be
appropriate to test every few hours. What diabetes teams suggest and what
patients do are often radically different. Doctors and nurses do look at
results but only after considering other factors that may contribute to
them. Every clinic, every doctor and every patient is different so there is
no point in trying to generalise. My view is that, if blood sugars are all
that's talked about in the clinic, then there's something seriously wrong
with the consultation.
KJR
Original posting 27 Jul 96