Initial experiences of adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes and high-risk glycemic control after starting flash glucose monitoring - a qualitative study

Flash glucose monitoring in young people with type 1 diabetes-a qualitative study of young people, parents and health professionals: 'It makes life much easier'

OBJECTIVES

Flash glucose monitoring for patients with T1 diabetes avoids frequent painful finger-prick testing, thus potentially improving frequency of glucose self-monitoring. Our study aimed to explore experiences of young people using Freestyle Libre sensors and their parents, and to identify benefits and challenges to National Health Service (NHS) staff of its adoption in their care provision.

PARTICIPANTS

Young people with T1 diabetes, their parents and healthcare professionals were interviewed between February and December 2021. Participants were recruited via social media and through NHS diabetes clinic staff.

DESIGN

Semistructured interviews were conducted online and analysed using thematic methods. Staff themes were mapped onto normalisation process theory (NPT) constructs.

RESULTS

Thirty-four participants were interviewed: 10 young people, 14 parents and 10 healthcare professionals. Young people reported that life was much easier since changing to flash glucose monitoring, increasing confidence and independence to manage their condition. Parents' quality of life improved and they appreciated access to real-time data. Using the NPT concepts to understand how technology was integrated into routine care proved useful; health professionals were very enthusiastic about flash glucose monitoring and coped with the extra data load to facilitate more tailored patient support within and between clinic visits.

CONCLUSION

This technology empowers young people and their parents to understand their diabetes adherence more completely; to feel more confident about adjusting their own care between clinic appointments; and provides an improved interactive experience in clinic. Healthcare teams appear committed to delivering improving technologies, acknowledging the challenge for them to assimilate new information required to provide expert advice.

Development and Validation of a Distress Measurement Related to Glucose Monitoring of Diabetes Patients

INTRODUCTION

Glucose monitoring-related problems affect the social and psychological distress experienced by patients with diabetes, and this distress leads to low compliance. Consequently, it is important to be able to comprehensively assess distress due to glucose monitoring in these patients. We have developed and validated a distress of self-glucose monitoring (DSGM) scale instrument to assess patient distress from glucose monitoring.

METHODS

Following an extensive literature review and qualitative study, we selected 21 items for assessing the DSGM, including physical, psychosocial, and process domains. We conducted a cross-sectional study in patients with insulin-treated diabetes aged 10-40 years at Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, from April 2021 to September 2021. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed to confirm the structural validity of the DSGM scale. To confirm construct and criterion validity, we assumed that the Korean version of the Problem Areas in Diabetes (PAID-K) instrument, life interference, and stress due to glucose monitoring might moderately correlate with the total score and scores of all domains of the DSGM scale except for the physical domain.

RESULTS

Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the DSGM scale were 0.92, and Cronbach's alpha coefficients of the three subscales ranged from 0.69 to 0.92, indicating satisfactory internal consistency. The DSGM scale was evaluated using CFA, and the fit indices for this model were good. The PAID-K total score, life interference, and stress due to glucose monitoring were moderately correlated with the total score of the DSGM scale and with the scores of the psychosocial and process domains, and were weakly correlated with the score of the physical domain of the DSGM scale.

CONCLUSION

The DSGM scale is a valid and reliable tool to evaluate distress due to glucose monitoring in adults, adolescents, and children with diabetes.

The impact of flash glucose monitoring on adults with type 1 Diabetes' eating habits and relationship with food

AIM

To gain a better understanding of how the FreeStyle Libre (FSL) flash glucose monitor influences the eating habits and relationship with food of adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

METHODS

Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted on fifteen semi-structured interviews conducted with adults with T1D, exploring their experiences of at least one year of FSL use.

RESULTS

Four themes were constructed from the qualitative data: (1) Personal Food Story (what food represented before and after diabetes diagnosis), (2) New Opportunities (the FSL offered novel discoveries and increased self-confidence regarding food choices), (3) Body as a Machine (participants viewed their bodies as a collection of complex processes requiring continuous maintenance), and (4) re-evaluating Diabetes (participants expressed a shift in their expectations of themselves and their diabetes management). Although the FSL offered participants more freedom and flexibility with their eating, this was constrained by feeling forever under scrutiny from the data.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest the FSL influences users' eating habits, including when, why, what and how much they eat. Participants described both the positive and negative impact of these changes on their emotional wellbeing and relationship with diabetes, arguing for a need to address patients' relationship with food in routine clinic care.

Adolescent ambivalence about diabetes technology-The Janus faces of automated care

The Janus face metaphor approach highlights that a technology may simultaneously have two opposite faces or properties with unforeseen paradoxes within human-technology interaction. Suboptimal acceptance and clinical outcomes are sometimes seen in adolescents who use diabetes-related technologies. A traditional linear techno-determinist model of technology use would ascribe these unintended outcomes to suboptimal technology, suboptimal patient behavior, or suboptimal outcome measures. This paradigm has demonstratively not been successful at universally improving clinical outcomes over the last two decades. Alternatively, the Janus face metaphor moves away from a linear techno-determinist model and focuses on the dynamic interaction of the human condition and technology. Specifically, it can be used to understand variance in adoption or successful use of diabetes-related technology and to retrospectively understand suboptimal outcomes. The Janus face metaphor also allows for a prospective exploration of potential impacts of diabetes-related technology by patients, families, and their doctors so as to anticipate and minimize potential subsequent tensions.

Experiences of Using Wearable Continuous Glucose Monitors in Adults With Diabetes: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

PURPOSE

The purpose of the study was to understand the experiences of adults with diabetes wearing a continuous glucose monitor (CGM).

METHODS

This qualitative, descriptive study included 19 adults with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes, who had used the FreeStyle Libre CGM for at least 4 weeks, from an outpatient clinic at a university-affiliated hospital in Korea. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using an inductive content analysis approach.

RESULTS

The content analysis revealed 3 major themes-navigating glucose level fluctuations, reframing diabetes self-care and improving quality of life, and device improvement and service quality. Participants reported that CGMs offered convenient glucose level monitoring, allowed early response to rapid glucose changes, and facilitated effective patient-clinician communication. Participants expressed concerns about the financial burden and limited services, recommending improvements for devices, consumer services, and health insurance coverage.

CONCLUSIONS

Study findings indicated that using wearable CGMs could improve self-care and quality of life in adults with diabetes. Using CGMs could improve patients' understanding of how diabetes self-care management affects real-time glucose levels. Health care providers could support patients' self-care by using device data. Improvements in quality, services, and insurance coverage could increase user satisfaction and promote self-care.

Use of intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring in young people with high-risk type 1 diabetes-Extension phase outcomes following a 6-month randomized control trial

AIMS

To describe the impact of a 12-month intervention using intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring (isCGM) on glycaemic control and glucose test frequency in adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and high-risk glycaemic control (HbA_1c ≥75 mmol/mol [≥9.0%]).

METHODS

In total, 64 young people (aged 13-20 years, 16.6 ± 2.1 years; 48% female; 41% Māori or Pacific ethnicity; mean diabetes duration 7.5 ± 3.8 years) with T1D were enrolled in a 6-month, randomized, parallel-group study comparing glycaemic outcomes from the isCGM intervention (n = 33) to self monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) controls (n = 31). In this 6-month extension phase, both groups received isCGM; HbA_1c , glucose time-in-range (TIR), and combined glucose test frequency were assessed at 9 and 12 months.

RESULTS

At 12 months, the mean difference in HbA_1c from baseline was -4 mmol/mol [-0.4%] (95% confidence interval, CI: -8, 1 mmol/mol [-0.8, 0.1%]; p = 0.14) in the isCGM intervention group, and -7 mmol/mol [-0.7%] (95% CI: -16, 1 mmol/mol [-1.5, 0.1%]; p = 0.08) in the SMBG control group. No participants achieved ≥70% glucose TIR (3.9-10.0 mmol/L). The isCGM intervention group mean rate of daily glucose testing was highest at 9 months, 2.4 times baseline rates (p < 0.001), then returned to baseline by 12 months (incidence rate ratio = 1.4; 95% CI: 0.9, 2.1; p = 0.091).

CONCLUSIONS

The use of isCGM in young people with high-risk T1D resulted in transient improvements in HbA_1c and glucose monitoring over a 9-month time frame; however, benefits were not sustained to 12 months.

A comparison of FreeStyle Libre 2 to self-monitoring of blood glucose in children with type 1 diabetes and sub-optimal glycaemic control: a 12-week randomised controlled trial protocol

Purpose

Frequent glucose monitoring is necessary for optimal glycaemic control. Second-generation intermittently scanned glucose monitoring (isCGM) systems inform users of out-of-target glucose levels and may reduce monitoring burden. We aim to compare FreeStyle Libre 2 (Abbott Diabetes Care, Witney, U.K.) to self-monitoring of blood glucose in children with type 1 diabetes and sub-optimal glycaemic control.

Methods

This open-label randomised controlled trial will enrol 100 children (4–13 years inclusive, diagnosis of type 1 diabetes ≥ 6 months, HbA1c 58–110 mmol/mol [7.5–12.2%]), from 5 New Zealand diabetes centres. Following 2 weeks of blinded sensor wear, children will be randomised 1:1 to control or intervention arms. The intervention (duration 12 weeks) includes second-generation isCGM (FreeStyle Libre 2) and education on using interstitial glucose data to manage diabetes. The control group will continue self-monitoring blood glucose. The primary outcome is the difference in glycaemic control (measured as HbA1c) between groups at 12 weeks. Pre-specified secondary outcomes include change in glucose monitoring frequency, glycaemic control metrics and psychosocial outcomes at 12 weeks as well as isCGM acceptability.

Discussion

This research will investigate the effectiveness of the second-generation isCGM to promote recommended glycaemic control. The results of this trial may have important implications for including this new technology in the management of children with type 1 diabetes.

Trial registration

This trial was prospectively registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry on 19 February 2020 (ACTRN12620000190909p) and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (Universal Trial Number U1111-1237-0090).

Intermittently Scanned and Continuous Glucose Monitor Systems: A Systematic Review on Psychological Outcomes in Pediatric Patients

Aim: To explore the impact of real-time continuous glucose monitoring (rtCGMs) or intermittently scanned/viewed CGM (isCGM) on psychological outcomes in children and caregivers, and to grade the level of evidence. Method: Systematic review of the literature from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CINAHL, Nursing reference center, Up to date, Google Scholar, and PsycINFO databases. The studies selected used validated questionnaires for investigating the psychological outcomes. We applied GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) to rank the quality of a body of evidence. Results: A total of 192 studies were identified in the initial search and after the process of evaluation 25 studies were selected as appropriate to be included in this systematic review. We found in moderate quality studies that isCGM in adolescents can improve diabetes related distress, family conflicts, fear of hypoglycemia, and quality of life, while depression, anxiety, and quality of sleep have not yet been evaluated by validated questionnaires. In moderate-high quality studies, rtCGM technology does not impact on diabetes burden, diabetes specific family conflict, and depressive symptoms. The effect on fear of hypoglycemia, sleep quality, and anxiety is still debated and RCT studies powered to find significant results in psychological outcomes are lacking. RtCGM increases satisfaction and quality of life in parents and patients wearing rtCGM. Conclusion: these data present an interesting point to consider when families are deciding whether or not to start CGM use, choosing between rtCGM to reach a tighter metabolic control, or isCGM which allows greater benefits on psychological outcomes.

The 'flash' adhesive study: a randomized crossover trial using an additional adhesive patch to prolong freestyle libre sensor life among youth with type 1 diabetes mellitus

AIMS

Although strategies to prevent premature sensor loss for flash glucose monitoring (FGM) systems may have substantial benefit, limited data are available. This study among youth with high-risk type 1 diabetes evaluated whether an additional adhesive patch over FGM sensors would reduce premature sensor loss frequency and not cause additional cutaneous adverse events (AEs).

METHODS

This is a six-month, open-label, randomized crossover trial. Participants were recruited at completion of prior 'Managing Diabetes in a Flash' randomized controlled trial and allocated to three months of Freestyle Libre FGM sensors with either standard adhesive (control) or additional adhesive patches (RockaDex, New Zealand) (intervention), before crossing over to the opposite study arm. Participants self-reported patch use or non-use, premature sensor loss and cutaneous AEs fortnightly via an electronic questionnaire.

RESULTS

Thirty-four participants were enrolled: mean age (± SD) 17.0 (± 2.2) years; mean HbA1c (± SD) 89 (± 16) mmol/mol (10.3% ± 1.4%). The response rate of questionnaires was 77% (314/408). Premature sensor loss was reported in 18% (58/314) of questionnaires: 20% (32/162) from intervention and 17% (26/152) from control (p = 0.56). Thirty-eight percent (118/314) of questionnaires were non-compliant to protocol allocation. However, per-protocol analysis showed similar findings. No significant difference in AEs was reported between compliant adhesive patch use and non-use (6% [5/78] and 3% [3/118], respectively, p = 0.27).

CONCLUSIONS

The adhesive patch investigated in this study does not appear to prevent premature FGM sensor loss. However, the low risk of AEs and low cost of an adhesive patch suggest an individualized approach to their use may still be warranted. Further research is needed to explore alternative strategies to prevent sensor loss.

Effect of 6 Months of Flash Glucose Monitoring in Youth With Type 1 Diabetes and High-Risk Glycemic Control: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring (isCGM) significantly improves glycemic control compared with capillary self-monitored blood glucose (SMBG) in youth with type 1 diabetes and high-risk glycemic control.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

This multicenter 6-month randomized, controlled, parallel-arm trial included 64 participants aged 13-20 years with established type 1 diabetes and glycated hemoglobin (HbA_1c) ≥9% (≥75 mmol/mol). Participants were allocated to 6-month intervention (isCGM; FreeStyle Libre; Abbott Diabetes Care, Witney, U.K.) (n = 33) or control (SMBG; n = 31) using minimization. The primary outcome was the difference in change in HbA_1c from baseline to 6 months.

RESULTS

There was no evidence of a difference between groups for changes in HbA_1c at 6 months (adjusted mean 0.2% greater improvement for isCGM [95% CI -0.9 to 0.5] [-2.1 mmol/mol (95% CI -9.6 to 5.4)]; P = 0.576). However, glucose-monitoring frequency was 2.83 (95% CI 1.72-4.65; P < 0.001) times higher in the isCGM group compared with that in the SMBG group at 6 months. The change in the Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire mean item score also favored isCGM at 6 months (P = 0.048), with no significant differences between groups for fear of hypoglycemia and quality of life (both general and diabetes specific) (all P > 0.1).

CONCLUSIONS

For youth with high-risk glycemic control, isCGM led to improvements in glucose testing frequency and diabetes treatment satisfaction. However, these did not translate to greater improvement in glycemic control over usual care with SMBG at 6 months.