CGM with remote monitoring in children improves parents’ quality of life

Burckhardt MA, Roberts A, Smith GJ et al (2018) The use of continuous glucose monitoring with remote monitoring improves psychological measures in parents of children with type 1 diabetes: a random crossover trial. Diabetes Care 41: 2641–3
 

• Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) prevents prolonged nocturnal hypoglycaemia but it does not reduce the fear of hypoglycaemia and its impact on psychosocial outcomes for children with diabetes and their parents is unknown.
• Investigators performed a crossover study to determine the impact of CGM with remote monitoring on psychosocial outcomes in parents of children aged 2 to 12 years who have type 1 diabetes.
• They randomised 49 children (mean age 9.5 years) to conventional blood glucose monitoring for 3 months followed by Dexcom G5 Mobile CGM with remote monitoring for 3 months or vice versa. 
• Parental fear of hypoglycaemia, health-related quality of life, family functioning, stress, anxiety and depression, sleep quality and satisfaction with CGM were assessed, as were children’s HbA_1c and frequency of blood glucose self-monitoring.
• Compared to the period of conventional blood glucose monitoring, CGM with remote monitoring was associated with a significant reduction in Parental Hypoglycaemia Fear Survey score (P<0.001). Measures of parental health-related quality of life, sleep quality, anxiety, stress and family functioning all improved with CGM with remote monitoring. HbA_1c levels were comparable between the groups and the frequency of blood glucose self-monitoring was significantly lower during CGM use (3.7 versus 6.2 finger pricks per day; P<0.001).
• Investigators concluded that CGM with remote monitoring improved parents’ quality of life and sleep, as well as reducing family stress.

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