Assessing the influence of home-based capillary blood glucose monitoring on healthcare utilization and glycemic management in diabetes

Rute Aparecida Casas Garcia; Maria Teresa da Costa Gonçalves Torquato; Lucia Helena Terenciani Rodrigues Pereira; Marcelo Alves Borges; Marta Maria Coelho Damasceno; Vivian Saraiva Veras; Márcio Flávio Moura de Araújo; Carla Regina de Souza Teixeira

Rute Aparecida Casas Garcia Ribeirão Preto School of Nursing at the University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1908-4262
Maria Teresa da Costa Gonçalves Torquato Municipal Health Department of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6374-2189
Lucia Helena Terenciani Rodrigues Pereira Municipal Health Department of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Marcelo Alves Borges Municipal Health Department of Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Marta Maria Coelho Damasceno Nursing Department, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4461-0145
Vivian Saraiva Veras Health Sciences Institute, University for the International Integration of Afro-Brazilian Lusophony, Redenção, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3267-3712
Márcio Flávio Moura de Araújo Health Family Department, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Eusébio, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8832-8323
Carla Regina de Souza Teixeira Health Family Department, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Eusébio, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8887-5439

Keywords: blood glucose self-monitoring, glycemic control, appointments, patients

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the relationship between home capillary blood glucose self-monitoring (CBGSM) with glycemic management and the number of consultations and capillary glucose strips consumed—a random sample of 422 patients with diabetes mellitus from a CBGSM program in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. We have collected data on the number of consultations with physicians, nurses, and the multi-professional team, the use of glucose strips and bottles of insulin and sociodemographic data. Patients with poor glycemic management showed a lower crude frequency of nurse consultations (4.9±4.8, p=0.011). A strong negative correlation was found between the consumption of glucose strips and the value of HbA1c (r=-0.758; p=0.0029). Another strong correlation observed was between the consumption of regular human insulin and the frequency of medical consultations (r=-0.815; p=0.0014). Our findings suggest that patients in CBGSM with higher use of capillary glucose strips were associated with good glycemic management.