Home monitoring of blood glucose: new approach to management of insulin-dependent diabetic patients in Great Britain.

The history of home monitoring of blood glucose by diabetic patients at St. Thomas' Hospital in London is reviewed. Initial successful experience with pregnant diabetic patients was extended to cover those with retinopathy and, subsequently, to all insulin-treated patients. Experience showed overwhelming preference by patients for blood glucose monitoring over urine tests and demonstrated improvement in blood glucose control. Experience in children 13 and older was equally (if not more) enthusiastic as in adults. Self-monitoring revealed many elementary mistakes in insulin therapy, which, when corrected, led to marked improvement in diabetic control with reduced frequency and severity of hypoglycemic attacks. Initial studies were made with Dextrostix and Eyetone. The need for a simple patient-oriented blood glucose machine was identified, and Glucochek was designed to meet it. Evaluation of Glucochek was satisfactory, and it was well liked by patients. It seems likely that blood glucose monitoring will replace urine tests in the majority of diabetic patients.