Introduction to Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose (SMBG)
SMBG is a blood glucose (blood sugar) monitoring procedure performed by people with diabetes on themselves or by their care taker.
Taking SMBG another step further, your doctor may have recommended you to perform such monitoring in a Structured Testing way.
Structured Testing.
Structured testing means checking your blood glucose at a specific time of the day or before or after an event (such as exercise, food, etc.) over a period of time.
There are different ways to perform structured testing, depending on your goals. The most common one is known as paired-testing usually done before and after a meal1.
Benefits of Structured Testing.
It can help you with your blood glucose control by:
- Recognizing your blood glucose patterns which can then guide your doctor in making treatment decisions relevant to your specific situations.
- Giving you and your care taker the ability to make appropriate day-to-day choices in your food intake, physical activity and insulin titration.
- Improving you and your care taker’s ability in recognizing low blood glucose levels (hypoglycemia) or high blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia).
Reference:
1. Clinical Practice Guidelines. Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. 5th Edition (Dec 2015). Malaysia Ministry of Health
Updated on 7 Jan 2019