Blood Glucose Meter Aids Optimizing Glycemic Control

A point-of-care advanced blood glucose meter (BGM) is helping people with diabetes achieve optimal blood sugar, especially for those treated with insulin.

The innovative meter not only measures blood sugar from a test strip but also features such as meal markers and audible reminders and is designed to plug into a computer for easy sharing of results.

A six-month randomized, multicenter prospective clinical outcomes study called ACT (Actions with the CONTOUR Blood Glucose Meter and Behaviors in Frequent Testers), conducted at four clinical sites in the U.S.A., evaluated the impact of diabetes education plus use of advanced BGM features versus diabetes education plus use of meters with basic features. Investigators also evaluated the influence of self-management of blood glucose (SMBG) information, motivation, and behavioral skills on measures of glycemic control via survey questions based on the Information-Motivation-Behavioral skills (IMB) model.

The CONTOUR BGM is manufactured by Bayer (Tarrytown, NY, USA) who sponsored the study. The CONTOUR BGM is easy to use, accurate, has automatic correction for hematocrit and many common interfering substances (such as acetaminophen and ascorbic acid). The test takes five seconds and uses 0.6 mL sample size. Of the 211 participants, 120 had type 1, and 90 had type 2 diabetes. They used mealtime insulin at least one meal per day, and tested their blood glucose levels at least three times per day. Participants were seen at baseline, six weeks, three months, and six months with no mandated actions between visits. Baseline testing frequency was self-reported, and meters were downloaded at the second and fourth visits.

Clinical results indicate that ACT study participants, the 105 who were randomized to the advanced meter features group and used meal markers and audible reminders, engaged in significantly more structured testing, including post-meal testing as well as paired (before and after meal) testing, than those who were randomized to basic meter features. Moreover, 72% of study participants in the advanced meter features group had a better understanding of the difference between before and after meal blood sugar results. However, 55% of participants who used basic meter features also said it was difficult to remember to test their blood sugars after meals versus the 23% of those that used the advanced meter features. These findings were presented at the 46th European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, September 20- 24, 2010.

David Simmons, M.D. VP and Chief Medical Officer, Bayer Diabetes Care, said, "The results of the ACT study will help us to identify areas of patient and professional education. They will also provide us with insight for more focused development and improvements in our products and their features, as well as new services we can provide for our customers."

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