Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose: Guideline Application Rather than Utilization Restrictions on Testing Strips Has Potential to Reduce Diabetes Healthcare Costs in Italy

Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is a proven tool to improve glycemic control, even if it might increase direct costs for diabetes management. In Italy, the purchase, prescription rules and responsibilities, and distribution of testing strips per type of patient are managed differently in each of the 20 Italian regions. The Italian scientific societies for diabetes (Società Italiana Diabetologia [SID] and Associazione Medici Diabetologi...