The Value of Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose Tools in Preventing and Reducing Prediabetes and Diabetes-Related Complications

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) indicates that maintaining healthy glucose control supports overall health and well-being and helps reduce the risk of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, chronic inflammation, microvascular and macrovascular complications, cardiovascular disease, and other metabolic complications.¹

Based on 2023 data reported in the CDC’s 2026 National Diabetes Statistics Report, diabetes affects 40.1 million adults in the US, representing an estimated 12% of the population, including 29.1 million individuals with diagnosed diabetes and 11 million who remain undiagnosed.²

An estimated 2.1 million Americans live with type 1 diabetes, including 1.8 million adults 20 years and older and 314,000 children and adolescents younger than 20 years, and approximately 1.5 million individuals are newly diagnosed each year.²

Rates of prediabetes continue to increase, with an estimated 115 million adults affected. Diabetes is also especially common among older adults, affecting 28.8% of individuals 65 years and older. Mortality from diabetes remains substantial. In 2023 diabetes ranked as the seventh leading cause of death in the US, with 95,190 deaths attributed to diabetes as the underlying cause and 399,342 death certificates listing it as an underlying or contributing factor.²

Value of Adherence and Preventive and Proactive Care

Various health organizations continue working to expand awareness about the importance of early identification and clinical intervention to prevent or reduce the risk of developing prediabetes, diabetes, and related complications. In addition to routine health care, the ADA emphasizes the value of effective self-management, including adherence to an individualized treatment plan, routine blood glucose monitoring, and healthy lifestyle behaviors such as balanced nutrition and physical activity.

The ADA also encourages patients to take an active role in their care to improve clinical outcomes and decrease diabetes-related complications. By empowering patients to monitor their blood glucose, maintain healthier habits, adhere to medications, and stay engaged with routine health care visits, pharmacists play a vital role in supporting early recognition and ongoing diabetes management. This comprehensive support improves clinical outcomes, enhances quality of life, and reduces the substantial health and economic burdens associated with diabetes across communities.

Meanwhile, the number of individuals at risk for or diagnosed with prediabetes and diabetes continues to rise each year, with the ongoing obesity epidemic remaining one of the primary contributing factors.

Because of their accessibility and frequent patient interactions, pharmacists play a pivotal role in raising awareness of the importance of early detection and in delivering patient-centered preventive and clinical interventions for both prediabetes and diabetes.

The 2026 ADA Standards of Care in Diabetes emphasize that routine self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is a core component of diabetes self-management, particularly for individuals using insulin or medications that may cause hypoglycemia.¹ SMBG is identified as an effective method for assessing glycemic status, guiding treatment adjustments, and evaluating the effectiveness of selected therapies.

Recent evidence continues to show that maintaining tight glycemic control significantly reduces the risk of diabetes-related complications, reinforcing findings from earlier landmark trials and supported by updated analyses published over the past decade.^1,3 SMBG provides real-time insight into daily glucose patterns, aids patients in achieving fasting and postprandial targets, and helps identify and prevent episodes of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. It also enables individuals to understand how glucose levels respond to food intake, medications, physical activity, sleep, stress, illness, and changes in therapy, making SMBG an indispensable tool.^1,4

Recent News and Clinical Studies on SMBG

Data from a study published in Scientific Reports indicated that many adults with diabetes do not regularly perform SMBG, with adherence strongly influenced by education, access to supplies, and support from health professionals. The authors concluded that improving training and affordability is essential for better self-management outcomes.⁵

A recent report indicated that the use of OTC glucose monitors continues to expand due to the increasing prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes, along with growing awareness of self-care and advances in technology that make monitors easier to use, more accurate, and more affordable.⁶

SMBG Meters and OTC Continuous Glucose Monitors

Pharmacists can play an essential role in helping patients choose SMBG tools, such as blood glucose meters (BGMs) and the recently FDA-approved OTC continuous glucose monitors (CGMs).

BGMs

Numerous self-testing BGMs are on the market, and as technology and features continue to advance, several factors are often considered when selecting a meter (Figure).⁷

Factors to Consider When Selecting BGMs

Many meters also have an app that can be installed on electronic devices to track results, maintain a log, and share them with a primary health care provider.⁷ A consumer guide providing information about features of available meters can be found on the ADA website, at https://consumerguide.diabetes.org/collections/meters.

OTC CGMs

Until recently, CGMs were available only by prescription for patients with diabetes who were taking insulin (Table).^8-10

The ADA indicates that the availability of CGMs provides health care providers and patients with another tool to closely monitor glucose levels, delivering real-time clinical data via a biosensor worn on the back of the upper arm that transmits glucose readings to a receiver, smartphone, or smartwatch.⁷

About the Author

Yvette C. Terrie, BSPharm, RPh, is a consulting pharmacist and medical writer in Haymarket, Virginia.

REFERENCES

1. American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee for Diabetes. Glycemic goals, hypoglycemia, and hyperglycemic crises: standards of care in diabetes-2026. Diabetes Care. 2026;49(suppl 1):S132-S149. doi:10.2337/dc26-S006

2. National Diabetes Statistics Report. CDC. January 21, 2026. Accessed August 12, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/php/data-research/index.html

3. Buse JB, Wexler DJ, Tsapas A, et al. 2019 update to: management of hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes, 2018. a consensus report by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). Diabetes Care. 2020;43(2):487-493. doi:10.2337/dci19-0066

4. Martens T, Beck RW, Bailey R, et al. Effect of continuous glucose monitoring on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with basal insulin: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2021;325(22):2262–2272. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.7444

5. Ewunetu M, Belay BM, Abere Y, Melkamu B, Eshetie Y, Dires T. Home self-monitoring of blood glucose using a glucometer and its determinants among diabetes mellitus. Sci Rep. 2025;15(1):17217. doi:10.1038/s41598-025-02196-4

6. Demand for OTC glucose monitors in USA. Future Market Insights. November 20, 2025. Accessed August 12, 2026. https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/united-states-otc-glucose-monitors-market

7. American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee for Diabetes. Diabetes technology: standards of care in diabetes—2026. Diabetes Care. 2026;49(suppl 1):S150-S165. doi:10.2337/dc26-S007

8. Stelo by Dexcom first glucose biosensor cleared by FDA as over-the-counter. News release. DexCom. March 5, 2024. Accessed August 13, 2026. https://investors.dexcom.com/news/news-details/2024/Stelo-by-Dexcom-First-Glucose-Biosensor-to-be-Cleared-by-FDA-as-Over-the-Counter/default.aspx

9. FDA clears first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor for children. News release. FDA. June 12, 2026. Accessed August 13, 2026. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-clears-first-over-counter-continuous-glucose-monitor-children

10. Abbott receives US FDA clearance for two new over-the-counter continuous glucose monitoring systems. News release. Abbott. June 10, 2024. Accessed August 13, 2026. https://abbott.mediaroom.com/2024-06-10-Abbott-Receives-U-S-FDA-Clearance-for-Two-New-Over-the-Counter-Continuous-Glucose-Monitoring-Systems