Usage of glucometer is associated with improved glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in Malaysian public primary care clinics: an open-label, randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) has been underutilised. We conducted an open-label, randomised controlled trial to assess the feasibility of introducing SMBG in primary care clinics in Malaysia. METHODS This was an open-label, randomised controlled trial conducted in five public primary care clinics in Malaysia. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (age range 35-65 years) not performing SMBG at the time of the study were randomised to receive either a glucometer for SMBG or usual care. Both groups of patients received similar diabetes care from the clinics. RESULTS A total of 105 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were enrolled. Of these, 58 and 47 were randomised to intervention and control groups, respectively. After six months, the glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) level in the intervention group showed a statistically significant improvement of 1.3% (p = 0.001; 95% confidence interval 0.6-2.0), relative to the control group that underwent usual care. The percentages of patients that reached the HbA1c treatment target of ≤ 7% were 14.0% and 32.1% in the control and intervention groups (p = 0.036), respectively. CONCLUSION The usage of a glucometer improved glycaemic control, possibly due to the encouragement of greater self-care in the intervention group.