doctors and diabetes

Oh Dear. You have come up against a problem that so many T2's get, HCP who just won't acknowledge our need to test. It just seems to be basically about saving money. Somebody may be along to guide you to the current guildines that may help your argument, I am rushign out and can't find the thread that I saw them on - sorry.

If they just won't go with your need to be proactive and understand the reasoning that you are using it to help control your BG, then sadly all you can do is buy them yourself.

I don't know your meter and strips but again somebody who does maybe along to advise you where you can find the cheapest ones.
good luck.

Anniexx

I belong to a Working party on diabetic care fir in-patients at the local hospital and another member is the sister from the diabetes clinic. She says this problem is growing. [I fund my own strips out of my pension] Sister (name removed) told me they get quite a few T1s struggling to get strips.
It's all about shifting the bill. It is nothing to do with patient welfare.
Strips come out of GP budgets Amputations and eye surgery come from the hospital's funds.
It's a long way from the philosophy which founded the NHS,

The gp deciding to save money is a slight myth..

GP's/Preactice managers are working from a study several years ago, that attempted to avaluated the effectiveness of Test Strips in controling T2 diabetes, the out come was that t2's who were prescribed tests strips faired no better than those who recieved regular HbA1c monitoring!

Surgeries are making a Edvidence based decission, as they see it!

You can argue your case using the NICE guidelines concerning test strips for T2's etc...

And as a T1 diabetic I too get extreme problems with amounts prescribed, I use a insulin pump, and I need to test regularly test, advange is 10 times a day... If my practice had their way, I would get 1 box of 50 test strips a month! It's a continue battle to frquently get my prescription returned to a suitable amount after they've yet again reduced it!

I have seen it on my medical records that because I am highly motivated in control of my diabetes the GP is quite happy to leave my strips on repeat prescription. This is the key, to show by way of records etc that you are motivated and proactive in your own care. There's no use just asking for strips without showing some motivation in how you will be using them.

I tried not testing for 3 months once between tests, the result ? My Hba1c went up significantly even though I am careful what I eat. I have not tried that again !

The test strips are probably the biggest item in a PCT's budget after continence care products and saving money will always be a priority for surgeries, so cost is an issue and is not a myth..

jopar said:

The gp deciding to save money is a slight myth..

GP's/Preactice managers are working from a study several years ago, that attempted to avaluated the effectiveness of Test Strips in controling T2 diabetes, the out come was that t2's who were prescribed tests strips faired no better than those who recieved regular HbA1c monitoring!

Surgeries are making a Edvidence based decission, as they see it!

Click to expand...

I'm only pointing out, where the decission stems from, The study used has been already debated to whether it was a fair reflection or not on this very forum way back...

I would agree that it's unfair to make a blanket decission to whether test strips should or shouldn't be prescribed...

jopar said:

The gp deciding to save money is a slight myth..

GP's/Preactice managers are working from a study several years ago, that attempted to avaluated the effectiveness of Test Strips in controling T2 diabetes, the out come was that t2's who were prescribed tests strips faired no better than those who recieved regular HbA1c monitoring!

Surgeries are making a Edvidence based decission, as they see it!

!

Click to expand...

That is only partly true.....yes, they use old evidence but that is also coupled with monetary decisions as well. My ex was a Practice Manager and frequently the Practice meetings had costs on the agenda.......how much a particular Patient's medication was costing, whether it could be reduced by presribing something cheaper without the Patient losing out. Many of the decisions were based solely on cost.......decisions were taken by all the Dr's present and not the Practice Manager who was just the Administrator. The person who carried out the policies....

I know from my own GP that there was quite a heated discussion about me being prescribed Byetta because of it's cost. He also told me that the issue of test strips was always under review as it was possibly one of the biggest budget items in the Practice. My GP stuck two fingers up at the PCT who are also trying to cut costs and I got what I needed.......others are not so fortunate.

So to say that the GP deciding to save money is a myth is actually factually incorrect. Might be your opinion, but they do make prescribing decisions on all sorts of things, including test strips on cost grounds. The anecdotal evidence on this Forum appears to back that view up, if members opinions are anything to go by.

Ken

Somebody far wiser constructed a useful post called "Self Monitoring of Blood Glucose for Type 2s" would have been more useful for the OP than arguing the toss over whether prescribing decisions were cost based or not.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=7373

H.

To all members please be aware that whilst at the time, April 2009 the information was great, unfortunately some of the information there is now out of date and in fact inaccurate. Therefore please check out the information, guidelines and also BG levels quoted. Some of them are not what are the present day guidelines.

cugila
Forum Monitor

In that case, why is it a sticky?

Because there is some good general information in the post, however we are unable to archive it at present. In any case some people don't like us to remove posts that although older, may be of interest. The cleaning up of the Forum is an ongoing process........we have been busy just lately.

cugila
Forum Monitor

Well in that case then I apologise to the OP for sending them in the direction of erroneous information found on this forum. We all know how up-to-date you like to keep things.

That's very true......we try our best to, that's why we wouldn't link to it.

Unfortunately there are many posts which contain out of date information, as this Forum has been going since around 2007/8. We are working with the Administrator to provide an archive where these posts can be safely stored for those who wish to read them. As we said, an ongoing process.

cugila
Forum Monitor

sugarless sue said:

I tried not testing for 3 months once between tests, the result ? My Hba1c went up significantly even though I am careful what I eat. I have not tried that again !

Click to expand...

I think this is a really important comment. I had a similar experience. Maybe it's down to "human nature" or something equally unscientific, but it would be good if more doctors knew snippets of info like this.

I'm a t2 and on insulin+tabs. I'm allowed 1 test strip per day. I've given up on my healthcare. I have blurred vision numb feet and constantly fall asleep. Guessing your blood sugars can be a *****.

My Doctors surgery has just has a re-vamp, they say for the patients benefit & to help improve service. The result is less doctors & loads of 'Practice Managers' one of whom has told my newly diagnosed 8 year old Type 1 boy we're doing his blood far too often (5 times a day at the mo) & has told us we cant have any more blood strips for another month :-(

I have never had a problem getting test strips from my GP's surgery. If I did I would kick up a fuss . . a big fuss I could not manage without my strips without them I would be out of control and costing the NHS a hell of a lot more money !!

ancient