Improving Diabetes Care Efficiency: Glucose Meter Download Station in Medical Offices

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus has become a public health pandemic. Nearly 1 in 9 adults in the U.S. have diabetes. This is expected to grow to 1 in 3 Americans by 2030. Diabetes management is time consuming for both the patient and the physician. It is recommended that people with diabetes perform self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) as part of their disease management. The SMBG reports can help both the patient and the physician make adjustments to diabetes treatment. These handwritten reports are frequently cumbersome to interpret and therefore difficult to make meaningful suggestions. Improving the efficiency in clinical office procedures can enhance the diabetes management outcomes. One such example is the glucometer download station. This manuscript reviews the how, when, and where download stations can help improve diabetes practice.