The Potential Impact of the FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System on Mental Well-Being and Treatment Satisfaction in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes: A Prospective Study

Abstract

Introduction This study assessed the treatment satisfaction and sense of well-being attained when patients with type 1 diabetes use the FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitoring system (FSL; Abbott Diabetes Care, Inc., Alameda, CA, USA). Methods A 12-week prospective study was conducted from January 2018 to May 2018 at the Diabetes Treatment Center, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Study participants (aged 14–21 years) were treated for type 1 diabetes with an insulin pump (IP) ( n = 10) or multiple dose injections (MDI) ( n = 23), and used the conventional finger-pricking method for glucose self-testing. At the baseline visit, FSL sensors were placed on each participant by a trained diabetes educator. At baseline and 12 weeks, a trained interviewer administered the Arabic version of the Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (DTSQ) and the WHO-5 Well-Being Index (WHO-5) (1998 version) questionnaire. Results As compared with the baseline, positive differences were found after 12 weeks of FSL use for all of the items in the DTSQ ( p < 0.001) and the WHO-5 questionnaire ( p < 0.001). The overall score for the DTSQ improved from a mean (SD) of 14.4 ± 6.5 at baseline to 32.1 ± 1.8 at 12 weeks. For the WHO-5 questionnaire, the overall well-being percentage score improved from 45.1% at baseline to 93.6% at 12 weeks ( p < 0.001). Conclusion Use of the FSL along with IP or MDI led to higher treatment satisfaction and a greater sense of mental well-being compared with the baseline conventional finger-pricking method. Funding No funding or sponsorship was received for this study. The article processing charges were funded by Abbott Diabetes Care.

Intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring is associated with high satisfaction but increased HbA1c and weight in well‐controlled youth with type 1 diabetes

“…As T1D is a chronic disease and life-long therapy is needed, it is important for technology to be user-friendly without debilitating effects on the quality of daily living, which in term allows for high device uptake. As observed in other studies, [27][28][29] device acceptance was high as seen by unambiguous scores on system utilization and self-reported satisfaction. They preferred isCGM over capillary glucose tests, however, more than half of participants reported problems with the device.…”

Gender differences in quality of life in adults with long-standing type 1 diabetes mellitus

“…As far as we are concerned, an association between frequency of uncontrolled glycemic excursions and low QoL among female patients has not been previously described. A stricter follow up of hypo/hyperglycemic episodes in clinical practice, through interstitial glucose monitoring, such as flash glucose monitoring or continuous glucose monitoring, could reduce their frequency, thus focussing interventions beyond HbA 1c aims and improving QoL of patients with DM1 [44,45].…”

Effectiveness of the Freestyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System on Diabetes Distress Among Individuals with Type 1 Diabetes: A Prospective Study

“…Such poor treatment strategies can prevent patients from improving their individual care in terms of accomplishing several selfcare tasks and reaching good glucose control [4][5][6]. The clinical importance of recognizing and treating T1D-linked psychological distress and its outcomes as a crucial health problem is emphasized by the understanding that T1D ranks among the major factors that contribute towards both depression and distress in a high percentage of adults who suffer from this disease [7,8]. DRD has been operationalized in many ways, and several steps to deal with it are currently in practice.…”