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BACKGROUND: Home blood glucose (HBG) monitoring has become an established practice in management of diabetes mellitus. However, it is unlikely to affect glycemic control unless the patients can and do act promptly, i.e., adjust insulin dose or type, in response to blood glucose readings. Moreover, the patients treated with diet and/or oral drugs are unable to take a prompt similar action. Finally, patients with type 2 diabetes rarely manifest extreme excursions of diurnal glycemia; however, the data in this regard are sparse. AIMS: This study assessed the influence of (1) HBG testing, (2) home urine glucose (HUG) testing, and (3) no testing (NT) on metabolic control, i.e., fasting plasma glucose, glycohemoglobin (HbA 1C ), and lipids, in 42 patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODOLOGY: All subjects underwent each testing phase lasting 4 months in a randomized sequence. HBG or HUG testing was performed four times daily, prior to meal and at bedtime. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in fasting plasma glucose and HbA concentrations 1C or lipid profiles at the end of each testing. CONCLUSION: It is apparent that HBG testing alone without an opportunity for prompt intervention, i.e., insulin administration, may be a wasteful exercise. We recommend an efficient cost-saving strategy of HBG testing with visual strips alone in patients not receiving insulin, only in the presence of symptoms of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia, and at the onset of acute illness.