Are diaries worthwhile in the diabetes clinic? A pilot study

To improve diabetes control, people with diabetes are often encouraged to monitor blood and/or urine glucose concentrations and record their results in a diary. The aims of this study were to establish how many people in the clinic possessed a diary, monitored and recorded their results, and responded to the result: and then to determine the effect this had on metabolic control. One hundred and ninety eight people were interviewed over five consecutive outpatient clinics using a simple questionnaire. The group included 102 males and 96 females of whom 22 (11%) were treated with diet, 43(22%) with oral agents, and 133 (67%) with insulin. Of these, 129 (65%) possessed a diary, of whom 126 (96%) performed glucose monitoring, but only 35 (27%) made any adjustment to treatment. HbA_1c concentrations were similar in those with and without a diary: 7.1 (SD 1.8)% (diary) v 6.6 (SD 1.8%) (no diary). In conclusion, although people use diaries to record their glucose concentrations, their usefulness in helping people manage their own diabetes and improve metabolic control may be limited.