That is the title of a new paper out yesterday in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology from my FTI colleague Marie Steele-Adjognon, along with Martha E. Shepherd, Jon Harris-Shapiro, David Hines, Abraham Lee and Yeesha Poon. The abstract is below.
Background:
This study evaluated the impact of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) on health outcomes and workplace absenteeism among people living with type 2 diabetes (T2D) who are not using insulin.
Methods:
This was a pre–post observational study using real-world data from a large employer health plan. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), body mass index (BMI), and sick days were measured 360 days before (baseline period) and 360 days after (follow-up period) CGM initiation. Persistence was defined as refilling CGM supplies at least once every 90 days.
Results:
In total, 71 patients were included (mean age, 52.3 years; 56.3% female); 33 (46.5%) were persistent to CGM. Overall, mean HbA1c levels decreased from 7.6% to 7.1% after the initiation of CGM (mean reduction, 0.52%; N = 55; P = .042), while mean BMI decreased by 0.95 kg/m² (N = 34; P = .075). Compared with the nonpersistent group, persistent patients achieved larger mean reductions in HbA1c levels (−0.89% vs. −0.17%; mean difference, 0.72%; P = .152) and BMI (−2.26 kg/m² vs. +0.37 kg/m²; mean difference, 2.62 kg/m2; P = .009). Absenteeism decreased in the persistent group but increased in the nonpersistent cohort (−8.41 vs. +6.95 mean sick days; mean difference, 15.36 days, P = .002).
Conclusions:
In this population, CGM was associated with improvements in clinical outcomes and absenteeism, although the economic implications require further evaluation. BMI and absenteeism were statistically significantly improved among persistent patients, compared with those of the nonpersistent cohort. Employers could benefit from broader coverage of CGM in this population.
You can read the full paper here.
