AbstractThis study consists of two parts: first, a survey of the current selfmonitoring preferences, attitudes and practices of 148 non‐insulindependent diabetic (NIDDM) patients on oral hypoglycaemic agents from three general practices in North Cornwall, and second, a clinical trial involving 24 of these patients who were randomly allocated to either home blood glucose monitoring or urine testing.The survey revealed wide variations in the method, timing, and frequency of home‐monitoring tests, and many unhelpful or unnecessary tests were performed. Most patients (71%) preferred urine testing, but significantly more patients in one practice used blood testing (p =<0.001). The trial showed no significant difference in the diabetes control of the blood testers and urine testers over a six month period.Blood testing is rapldly taking over from urine testing as the principal home‐monitoring method for all diabetics, but this study suggests that, for most NIDDM patients, this uncomfortable, unpopular and expensive method offers no advantage over urine te