Here’s a clear summary of the effect of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in diabetes management:
1. Improved Glycemic Control
- CGM provides real-time glucose readings and trends, which helps patients adjust diet, exercise, and insulin more precisely.
- Studies show CGM use reduces HbA1c levels, especially in type 1 diabetes and insulin-treated type 2 diabetes.
2. Reduced Hypoglycemia and Hyperglycemia
- CGM alerts patients to rising or falling glucose before they reach dangerous levels.
- This reduces severe hypoglycemia episodes and hospitalizations.
- Time in target range (TIR, typically 70–180 mg/dL) increases significantly with CGM use.
3. Behavioral and Lifestyle Benefits
- By visualizing the immediate effects of meals, exercise, and stress, CGM empowers patients to make healthier choices.
- Encourages adherence to treatment plans since feedback is continuous, not just at clinic visits.
4. Clinical Decision Support
- CGM data allows healthcare providers to see glucose variability, dawn phenomenon, and postprandial spikes that fingersticks miss.
- Enables more individualized therapy adjustments compared to traditional self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG).
5. Quality of Life & Convenience
- Reduces the burden of frequent fingersticks.
- Provides peace of mind with predictive alerts and retrospective reports.
- Improves confidence in managing diabetes for both patients and caregivers.
6. Economic Impact
- Although CGM devices are costly, reduced hospitalizations, fewer complications, and better long-term outcomes may lower overall healthcare costs.
- Increasingly, insurance providers are covering CGM for type 1 and type 2 patients on insulin.
✅ In short: CGM transforms diabetes management by improving glycemic control, reducing dangerous glucose swings, supporting lifestyle changes, and empowering both patients and clinicians with actionable, continuous data.