The role of blood glucose monitoring in non-insulin treated type 2 diabetes: what is the evidence?

Over the past few decades, self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) has been recognized as a core component of effective diabetes self-management among insulin-treated type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients. Given the costly nature of current T2DM care, especially as the worldwide prevalence of T2DM continues to increase rapidly, it is critical to determine whether resources devoted to SMBG in non-insulin treated T2DM patients are also justified and being applied effectively. We review the conflicting evidence on the use of SMBG in insulin-naïve T2DM patients.