Finger pricking or self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) – which patients with diabetes can regularly use to check their own blood sugar levels – is not cheap. Most practices spend 40% more on blood testing strips than on oral hypoglycaemic drugs. Dr Karet carefully reviews the evidence for which patients we should be advising to selfmonitor, how often they should test their blood glucose and – most importantly – how they should act on the results.
