Providing continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) to patients with all levels of health literacy can improve diabetes management, and this technology should not be turned away by those with low health literacy, according to research published today. It is said that there is no. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association.1 Instead, healthcare providers should focus on improving literacy-friendly education efforts so that all patients can benefit from the devices.
Diabetics check blood sugar levels at home using CGM/Halfpoint – Stock.adobe.com
Despite offering deeper insight than standard blood glucose monitors and emerging as a powerful diabetes management tool, effective use of CGMs requires some initial learning about the technology and data interpretation. is. The user must maintain a high level of health literacy and numeracy to understand how to synchronize and adjust her CGM with the app on her smartphone or tablet and to interpret her data. This lack of knowledge and literacy can make effective CGM use and diabetes management difficult.
Important points
- Although CGM requires some technical and health knowledge, it is valuable to patients with all levels of health literacy. Healthcare providers should focus on providing clear and targeted education to ensure all patients receive the maximum benefit from these tools.
- This study found a link between patient comfort level with CGM and diabetes management, and found that providing appropriate training in the interpretation of CGM data and using technology effectively can improve health outcomes. It has been suggested that outcomes can be improved.
- This study highlights a gap in educational materials designed for patients with low health literacy. Healthcare providers need to develop and use CGM training programs that are easy to understand and address specific knowledge gaps.
In conducting the study, researchers characterized the health literacy level of patients using CGM for diabetes management, identified knowledge gaps related to CGM education, and assessed self-rated comfort with CGM use. The purpose was to evaluate the indicators of
A total of 82 participants with either type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes (T2D) using CGM were recruited for this study. Each participant completed the Health Literacy/Subjective Numerical Rating Scale (HLS/SNS) survey, a tool that assesses health literacy and health metrics in T2D patients. Participants ranked the items on the HLS and SNS surveys on his 4-point and her 6-point scales, respectively, and the researcher calculated a composite score. Higher scores, ranging from 22 to 104, indicate higher levels of health literacy.
Participants also completed a CGM questionnaire developed by the researchers to assess their satisfaction, comfort, confidence, and degree of perceived benefits related to CGM monitoring. Additionally, the researchers assessed the participants' individual CGM data and hemoglobin A.1c (HbA1c) level to assess how patient responses to the three questionnaires correspond to clinical outcomes.
Overall, the mean composite score of study participants was 80 (IQR 71-89), which indicated that participants had a high level of health literacy. Regarding CGM data and HbA evaluation1c The results revealed that participants generally managed their diabetes better, and the researchers found that participants who reported feeling more comfortable using CGM and having a better understanding of data interpretation had lower clinical We noticed that the outcomes were good.
Despite the high average scores of the patient population, researchers noticed demographic trends. Participants with low scores on the HLS/SNS survey had less than a college degree, annual household income of less than $50,000, and had public insurance.
Read more: Community pharmacists could help patients manage diabetes through remote CGM monitoring
The researchers stressed that while some patients may not feel as comfortable using CGM, the benefits of the technology should not be denied. Rather, health care providers need to increase targeted literacy-focused training and provide continuing education to ensure equitable diabetes management. Materials such as researchers' own research can serve as a good starting point for developing these efforts.
“Given that CGM is a relatively new staple in diabetes management, there is a lack of standardized low literacy educational materials specifically related to its use,” the researchers wrote. “Our researcher-developed survey closes that gap by providing health care providers with an easy way to assess patient perceptions of CGM and allowing them to provide specialized literacy-sensitive training. For example, the survey responses in our study included additional targeted training for the patient population on how to respond to alerts, how to access stored CGM data; and how to interpret these results.”
CGM allows people with diabetes to take a more active role in managing their condition, but without proper training, many of these benefits will be limited. One qualitative study found that although patients expressed confidence in making immediate adjustments to insulin and lifestyle to address impending hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, most participants were unable to interpret more complex data. , the researchers found, required the help of a medical professional to determine changes in background insulin doses and meal times. ratio.2
These findings highlight the importance of educational initiatives to help CGM users maximize the benefits of the technology. The increased focus on training may also increase the uptake of these devices, with the total number of people living with diabetes projected to rise to 578 million people worldwide by 2030. This makes this especially important.3
“Although they may not initially feel as comfortable or confident using CGM, patients with low health literacy should not be excluded from the potential benefits of CGM,” the researchers concluded. “This study highlights the need to address health inequalities in people with diabetes.”
Read more: Continuous Glucose Monitoring Resource Center
