Barriers on Management and Compliance of Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose in Type 2 Diabetes on Basal-Bolus Insulin Therapy

Abstract

Aim: This study was conducted to determine the barriers on management and compliance of self- monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) in type 2 diabetic individuals who take on basal-bolus insulin therapy. Subjects and Methods: Twenty-three type 2 diabetic patients (56.5% men, 73.9% married) whose HbA1c values were ≥7.5%, who had been using insulin for at least 1 year were included in the study. All the patients had a semistructured in-depth interview for 30-40 minutes. The obtained data were evaluated according to Colaizzi’s data analysis method. Results: While 56.5% of the patients were male and 73.9% were married, the mean age was 61 ± 6 years, the duration of illness was 15 ± 6 years and the mean HbA1c was 9.5 ± 1.4%. Five main themes and nine sub-themes were identified in the study. The themes were; (1) Problems about lifestyle, (2) Lack of information regarding diabetes and blood glucose monitoring, (3) Lack of motivation, (4) Sharing/problems with the healthcare team, (5) Not using the measurement tools correctly. Conclusion: Our study showed that patients did not perform SMBG regularly as desired and could not turn it into their lifestyle.