Self-monitoring of blood glucose recommendations

Pakistan, a developing country with limited resources, is having huge burden of diabetes and its complications. The local health care providers face limitations due to the related cost while emphasizing on self monitoring of blood glucose. The lack of health care infrastructure, non-affordability of the patients and non-existence of national guidelines are the most significant obstacles. Having realized these issues we decided to initiate a project of self monitoring of blood glucose, “BRIGHT (Better Recommendations, Implementation and Guideline development for Health care providers and their Training).After extensive literature search, the project team, approached and communicated with “Advisory Board for the Care of Diabetes (ABCD) of Pakistan” for their expert opinion and suggestions. The board members belong to the faculty of main teaching hospitals of the four provinces of Pakistan thus ensuring national representation. The endorsement of these guidelines has paved the way for their uniform implementation all over the country. Development of these Guidelines is the first part of BRIGHT project. In the next phase, we have started training of health care providers. Five mega programs have been conducted in this regard in the major cities.So far a patient’s log book has also been designed and distributed. Like all other guidelines, this is a living document which will be revised and updated from time to time in the light of new information which becomes available.