How Satisfied Are Patients When Their Choice of Funded Glucose Meter Is Restricted to a Single Brand

Background:Many governments and insurers are driving down the cost of medical devices, including glucose meters, by the central management of purchasing decisions. We report patients’ responses to an “enforced” change in brand of glucose meter, one year after the introduction of a national sole supplier arrangement for funded glucose meters and strips.Method:Specialist diabetes clinic attendees from two geographical locations completed a questionnaire one year after the final meter changeover date. In the first location, consecutive patients were asked to complete a glucose meter satisfaction questionnaire during their clinic visit. In the second location, this questionnaire was mailed to clinic attendees. Responses to open questions were analyzed thematically.Results:Response rates were 85% and 31% from the first and second locations, respectively and 378 questionnaires were suitable for analysis, 309 from the first and 69 from the second location. Insulin users composed 90% of participants. Results from...