Continuous glucose monitoring helps reduce hypoglycemia and improve control in insulin treated diabetic patients managed in primary care

Objectives: To determine the efficacy of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) in reducing hypoglycemia and improving glycemic control in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients treated with insulin in primary care. Design: Prospective Cohort study Subjects: T2DM patients treated with insulin and had been regularly followed up at primary care clinics from the Hospital Authority from January 2022 to December 2023. Participants were divided into either the CGM group (Cohort group) and the non-CGM group (Control group). Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome: change in HbA1c levels over a 12-months period and the changes in the frequency of hypoglycemic episodes per month. Secondary outcome: changes in other clinical parameters including blood pressure control, lipid control and biochemical profiles. Results: The study included 59 patients in the CGM group and 60 patients in the non-CGM group. The CGM group exhibited a statistically significant reduction in HbA1c level between-groups with mean difference of 0.95±0.21 (p=0.006). The incidence of hypoglycemic episodes markedly decreased in the CGM group too, witha mean difference of 4.69±1.45 (p=<0.001) between the groups. Conclusion: CGM significantly improved glycemic control and reduced hypoglycemic episodes in T2DM patients managed in primary care setting. Family physicians should actively consider incorporating CGM into the comprehensive diabetes assessment for enhanced diabetes management.