STeP study shows self-monitoring can improve blood glucose control for diabetics

A year-long Structured Testing Protocol (STeP) Study has revealed that diabetics who practice a new diabetes management approach can achieve significant reductions in their HbA1c values, improve their blood glucose control and also lower diabetes-specific distress and depression levels.
The research will be welcomed amongst those with type 2 diabetes who have been denied access to testing equipment and supplies, especially as even those who have secured testing supplies have been under pressure to use their strips sparingly or have had their test strips withdrawn.
The results, which were presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), showed that the effective diabetes management concept can lead to substantially improved treatment in non-insulin using type 2 diabetics .
The active control group patients received the usual care enhanced with quarterly visits and point-of-care HbA1c testing, plus available self-monitoring data, while the structured testing group got the same care as the control group patients, but additionally received the new, self-testing-focused, diabetes management concept.
The new concept uses structured self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), pattern analysis, data visualisation and focused intervention.
Access to test strips and self-testing supplies has long been a hot topic amongst those with type 2 diabetes. The outcome of this research will be food for thought for those type 2 diabetics who have see, at first hand, difficulties in getting hold of testing supplies.