Effectiveness of continuous glucose monitoring in children, adolescents, and young adults with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) on glycemic control in children, adolescents, and young adults ages 7-21 years with poorly controlled diabetes HbA1c 9.0% or more (74 mmol/mol IFCC).The primary outcome was improvement in HbA1c. The secondary outcome included self-reported hypoglycemia. This 12-week study used a prospective, one-group, pre- and posttest pre-experimental design with a convenience sample. The study used the Medtronic Guardian CGM with Enlite Sensor.Thirty-three subjects enrolled in the study. The mean age of the participants was 15.57 years, range was 11-20 years, 47.6% were male, and 52.4% were female. Twenty-one (63.6%) completed the final study visit. There was a clinically and statistically significant reduction of 1.46 (SD = 1.6711) (p = .001) in HbA1c at 12 weeks. Fifteen of the 21 participants (71.4%) had an HbA1c reduction of greater than 0.5%. The CGM monitor was worn a mean of 4.262 days a week. None of the subjects reported significant hypoglycemia while wearing the monitor. CGM was effective in improving glycemic control in this population with poorly controlled diabetes.