Doctors find it impossible to stabilize and monitor diabetic patients in hospital without measuring blood glucose levels and it seemed logical that patients would also manage themselves better if they were able to measure blood glucose during their ordinary life. The development of glucose oxidase sticks and Reflectance meters has made this possible. Six groups have published their experience with home blood glucose monitoring in 188 patients. All have found that patients have little difficulty in obtaining blood samples and can get accurate results. When patients measure blood rather than urinary glucose they understand the disease better and become more motivated. Control has been greatly improved in the majority of patients and some can maintain normoglycaemia for long periods of time. Cheaper and more portable machines will make the method more widely applicable. Both HbA1c and home blood glucose monitoring will be increasingly used in the management of the insulin-taking diabetic since they provide complementary information.