Digitally enabled flash glucose monitoring for inpatients with COVID-19: Feasibility and pilot implementation in a teaching NHS Hospital in the UK

Background COVID-19 placed significant challenges on healthcare systems. People with diabetes are at high risk of severe COVID-19 with poor outcomes. We describe the first reported use of inpatient digital flash glucose monitoring devices in a UK NHS hospital to support management of people with diabetes hospitalized for COVID-19. Methods Inpatients at University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust with COVID-19 and diabetes were considered for digitally enabled flash glucose monitoring during their hospitalization. Glucose monitoring data were analysed, and potential associations were explored between relevant parameters, including time in hypoglycaemia, hyperglycaemia, and in range, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), average glucose, body mass index (BMI), and length of stay. Results During this pilot, digital flash glucose monitoring devices were offered to 25 inpatients, of whom 20 (type 2/type 1: 19/1; mean age: 70.6 years; mean HbA1c: 68.2 mmol/mol; mean BMI: 28.2 kg/m2) accepted and used these (80% uptake). In total, over 2788 h of flash glucose monitoring were recorded for these inpatients with COVID-19 and diabetes. Length of stay was not associated with any of the studied variables (all p-values >0.05). Percentage of time in hyperglycaemia exhibited significant associations with both percentage of time in hypoglycaemia and percentage of time in range, as well as with HbA1c (all p-values <0.05). The average glucose was significantly associated with percentage of time in hypoglycaemia, percentage of time in range, and HbA1c (all p-values <0.05). Discussion We report the first pilot inpatient use of digital flash glucose monitors in an NHS hospital to support care of inpatients with diabetes and COVID-19. Overall, there are strong arguments for the inpatient use of these devices in the COVID-19 setting, and the findings of this pilot demonstrate feasibility of this digitally enabled approach and support wider use for inpatients with diabetes and COVID-19.

Improved HbA1c and reduced glycaemic variability after 1-year intermittent use of flash glucose monitoring

Flash glucose monitoring (FGM) was introduced in China in 2016, and it might improve HbA1c measurements and reduce glycaemic variability during T1DM therapy. A total of 146 patients were recruited from October 2018 to September 2019 in Liaocheng. The patients were randomly divided into the FGM group or self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) group. Both groups wore the FGM device for multiple 2-week periods, beginning with the 1st, 24th, and 48th weeks for gathering data, while blood samples were also collected for HbA1c measurement. Dietary guidance and insulin dose adjustments were provided to the FGM group patients according to their Ambulatory Glucose Profile (AGP) and to the SMBG group patients according to their SMBG measurements taken 3–4 times daily. All of the participants underwent SMBG measurements on the days when not wearing the FGM device. At the final visit, HbA1c, time in range (TIR), duration of hypoglycaemia and the number of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) events were taken as the main endpoints. There were no significant difference in the baseline characteristics of the two groups. At 24 weeks, the HbA1c level of the FGM group was 8.16 ± 1.03%, which was much lower than that of the SMBG group (8.68 ± 1.01%) (p = 0.003). The interquartile range (IQR), mean blood glucose (MBG), and the duration of hypoglycaemia in the FGM group also showed significant declines, compared with the SMBG group (p < 0.05), while the TIR increased in the FGM group [(49.39 ± 17.54)% vs (42.44 ± 15.49)%] (p = 0.012). At 48 weeks, the differences were more pronounced (p < 0.01). There were no observed changes in the number of episodes of DKA by the end of the study [(0.25 ± 0.50) vs (0.28 ± 0.51), p = 0.75]. Intermittent use of FGM by T1DM patients can improve their HbA1c and glycaemic control without increasing the hypoglycaemic exposure in insulin-treated individuals with type 1 diabetes in an developing country.