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Self-measurement of blood glucose is part of the daily routine for patients with diabetes, and healthcare professionals use these values for therapy and treatment. Healthcare providers are encouraging patients with insulin-dependent diabetes to test their blood glucose level four to six times a day to effectively manage their disease and significantly reduce the incidence of serious and costly complications. Unfortunately, people with diabetes test less than once a day on average, associating this noncompliance with pain associated with drawing blood from the finger. Glucose-monitoring techniques are under study that would allow body fluids other than blood to be used in a painless or almost painless manner. These new technologies could lead to a revolutionary advance in the treatment of diabetes, and the current research and development can now be reviewed.
Smoller et al. (1998) studied this question.