Introduction: Diabetes Mellitus (DM), characterised by chronic
hyperglycaemia, exposes patients to acute and chronic
complications, such as hypoglycaemia and vascular
complications, respectively. The latter is associated with the
degree of glycaemic control. Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c)
indicates long-term glycaemic control of the preceding 2-3
months. The practice of self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG)
is essential for insulin-treated diabetic patients to achieve
optimum glycaemic control and prevent hypoglycaemia. Aim:
The study aimed to determine the SMBG practice and frequency
and its association with HbA1c and factors in insulin-treated
diabetic patients. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of
insulin-treated diabetic patients attending follow-up at the
diabetic clinic of Hospital Serdang from April 2015 to August
2015. Consented eligible patients completed validated selfadministered
questionnaires. Patients’ HbA1c results were
obtained from the hospital information system. Results: Ninetyone
of 137 (66%) patients practiced SMBG and 46 (34%) did
not. Although 82% had seen diabetic nurses, 54% of patients did
not alter their treatment accordingly. Neither the practice nor the
frequency of SMBG was significantly associated with
differences in HbA1c levels (p=0.334 and p=0.116 respectively).
Ethnicity and household income significantly affected SMBG
practice. The presence and frequency of hypoglycaemia
significantly increased the likelihood of SMBG practice
(p