Blood glucose self-estimation in diabetic patients: the contribution of behavioral psychology

From the point of view of behavioral psychology , the treatment of diabetes mellitus is a process of self-regulation in which patients adjust their behaviors to maintain blood glucose levels within a target range. Therefore, accuracy of blood glucose estimation is a prerequisite. This article reviews the studies in which diabetic patients are taught how to pay attention and discriminate their blood glucose fluctuations. The studies are classified into three groups: feedback studies, symptom description studies, and specific training programs. The contibution of Skinner's operant psychology to the analysis of the relevant variables involved in the acquisiton and maintenance of self-descriptive repertoires is also discussed.