Closing the Gap in Health Disparities and Improving Health Outcomes: Evaluation of a Single Center Expansion of Continuous Glucose Monitor Access in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
Closing the Gap in Health Disparities and Improving Health Outcomes: Evaluation of a Single Center Expansion of Continuous Glucose Monitor Access in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
The purpose of this pilot study is to hopefully generate interest that will lead to more robust trials evaluating FreeStyle Libre 2 sensors in patients with type 2 diabetes on any diabetes regimen. Hopefully the trial will ultimately pave the way to future trials that will prompt clinicians, policymakers, and insurers to re-evaluate the current criteria defining the coverage of continuous glucose monitors (CGM).
The objectives of the study are to 1) Determine if there is difference in diabetes control in adult participants with type 2 diabetes before and after management with FreeStyle Libre 2, 2) Compare participant satisfaction with glucose monitoring and diabetes distress in adult participants with type 2 diabetes before and after management with FreeStyle Libre 2 and 3) Compare the frequency of hypoglycemia in adult participants with type 2 diabetes before and after management with FreeStyle Libre 2.
This will be a prospective, single-center, pre-post pilot study where enrolled participants will be given free FreeStyle Libre 2 sensors for 3 months and will be followed by pharmacists in the Upstate Adult Medicine Clinic.
During the first visit, pharmacists will order a baseline hemoglobin A1c, confirm the participant's current medication list, provide CGM education and assess patient's willingness to scan. Participants will also be asked to participate in a voluntary initial satisfaction survey (Glucose Monitoring Satisfaction Survey). Sensors will be placed at the end of the first visit. No medication changes will be made in order to obtain baseline data for each participant. All initial visits will be conducted in-office. Baseline characteristics will be collected at this visit.
The second visit will be scheduled approximately 2 weeks after the initial visit and will also be in-office. Since no medication changes were made during the first visit, the second visit will provide baseline CGM data, which will be reviewed with the participant. All subsequent follow-up visits will be scheduled at 2-week intervals unless an earlier visit is determined to be necessary by the pharmacist. At the discretion of the pharmacists, subsequent follow-up visits can either be a telemedicine encounter or an in-office visit. CGM data and medication changes will be documented at each visit.
The final visit will be scheduled approximately 3 months after sensor placement and will be in-office. Participants will be asked to participate in the post satisfaction survey (Glucose Monitoring Satisfaction Survey). Pharmacists will repeat the hemoglobin A1c, review the final medication list, remove the sensors, and review plan for self-monitoring blood glucose with patient moving forward.
Inclusion Criteria:
Diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes with
Referred and actively followed by pharmacy for at least 3 months prior to study enrollment
Have at least one encounter with pharmacist within the last 3 months
Have at least one A1c documented while under pharmacist care
On at least one anti-diabetic medication
Demonstrates willingness (at the discretion of the investigators) to scan the CGM several times a day
Demonstrates willingness (at the discretion of the investigators) to attend regular office visits or phone calls
Exclusion Criteria: