Table 1.

The use of blood glucose test strips in Ontario in 2008 among patients with diabetes aged 65 and older

Diabetes therapy received	No. (column %)*
	Patients prescribed test strips (row %)	Claims for test strips	Test strip claims per patient, mean (SD)	Test strips dispensed	Test strips per patient per day, mean (SD)
Group 1: Insulin†n = 65 792	56 772 (86.3)	311 415 (33.8)	5.49 (3.82)	43 121 314 (36.7)	2.08 (1.71)
Group 2: Hypoglycemia-inducing oral glucose-lowering drugs‡, n = 134 758	83 059 (61.6)	283 915 (30.8)	3.42 (2.80)	35 283 961 (30.0)	1.16 (1.01)
Group 3: Nonhypoglycemia-inducing oral glucose-lowering drugs§n = 130 807	75 134 (57.4)	213 252 (23.1)	2.84 (2.35)	25 817 898 (22.0)	0.94 (1.19)
Group 4: No glucose-lowering drug therapy**n = 169 449	48 548 (28.7)	113 445 (12.3)	2.34 (2.09)	13 380 519 (11.4)	0.75 (0.74)
All diabetes therapy groups	263 513	922 027	3.50 (3.04)	117 603 692	1.22 (1.30)

Note: SD = standard deviation.

^*Unless otherwise indicated.

^†At least 1 prescription for insulin, regardless of other diabetes drug therapy

^‡At least 1 prescription for an oral glucose-lowering drug that may induce hypoglycemia (repaglinide or sulfonylureas) but not insulin.

^§At least 1 prescription for an oral glucose-lowering drug not generally associated with hypoglycemia (metformin, thiazolidinediones or acarbose) but not insulin or a hypoglycemia-inducing oral glucose-lowering drug.

^**No prescription for an oral glucose-lowering drug or insulin.