Adherence to glucose monitoring with intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring in patients with type 1 diabetes

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to predict the Intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring (isCGM) adherence behavior of patients with Type 1 Diabetes.

Methods: Patients with Type 1 Diabetes mellitus using FreeStyle Libre™ System (FL), a isCGM device, that attended the "Insulin Infusion Pump clinic" at Centro Hospitalar de São João were enrolled and evaluated for sociodemographic and clinical characterization, beliefs and concerns about Diabetes Mellitus, as well as isCGM's perceptions. Intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring data were collected to characterize monitoring patterns and to measure isCGM's adherence-FL average of scans/day.

Results: Seventy-two patients with a mean of 30.36 years (sd=11.35) participate in this study. A median of 7 scans/day was performed. The adherence predictors found was Age (β = 0.191, p = 0.006), Time in target (β = 0.530, p = 0.002), isCGM Necessity (β = 2.631, p = 0.048), Body Mass Index (β = -0.549, p = 0.017) and Sex (β = -3.996; p = 0.011).

Conclusions: This study emphasizes the relevance of glucose monitoring adherence in disease control and shows that males of younger ages, presenting with higher body mass index levels, lower time in target, and reporting lower isCGM necessity are less adherent to isCGM. Therefore, these patients should be closely followed and object of personalized strategies to promote treatment adherence.

Keywords: Adherence; Illness representations; Intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring (isCGM); Treatment representations; Type 1 Diabetes.