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NEWS
Ascensia Survey Results
Desang Diabetes Magazine and Ascensia UK's survey
of CGM users shows continued need for 'conventional'
blood testing. Summary by Martin Wilde.
A
recent survey, which ran in July to early August
2023, shows that the majority of CGM users -
even experienced ones who tend to be more
confident about the accuracy of this technology
- still feel the need to carry out regular conventional
'finger prick' blood tests.
The online survey - carried out in June/July 2023 for
Ascensia in association with Desang Diabetes Magazine,
investigated the use of conventional 'finger prick' blood
testing by 453 CGM users, mainly based in the UK.
The majority (79%) of those surveyed had Type 1
diabetes, while 13% had Type 2: the others either had
other types of diabetes or were carers for those with the
condition. Of these 453, the vast majority (93%) regularly
used a CGM, while a small share of those who took part
only used a CGM occasionally - relying more on a blood
glucose meter.
The majority (69%) of the sample was experienced
CGM users, having used these for more than two years:
only 16% had been using a CGM for 1-2 years, while
the smallest share (13%) had only done so for less than
12 months.
The most used CGM device was the Abbott FreeStyle
Libre 2 (52%), followed by the Dexcom G6 (24%). Other
devices used less widely amongst the group were the
Medtronic Guardian (8%), Dexcom G7 (4%), Dexcom One
(3%), Abbott Freestyle Libre (2%) and Abbott Freestyle
Libre 3 (2%).
Testing times
However, when these CGM users were asked if they
carried out additional testing with a blood glucose meter,
it was clear that while 22% did not do any 'conventional'
testing at all, the majority were still finger prick testing.
Indeed, 50% were doing only one test per day on average,
as many as 12% were doing 1-2 tests daily and 15% were
testing even more frequently than this.
What was particularly striking from the results
was that the longer a user had been using a CGM, the
more likely they were to be carrying out additional
'conventional' blood tests. Overall, 34% of those who had
been using a CGM for less than 12 months were currently
not testing using a blood glucose meter test (and only
38% of these novices tested less than once a day), but
only 20% of those who had used a CGM for more than
two years carried out no additional tests (with 58% of
these more experienced users testing less than once
a day).
The survey also found that Dexcom CGM users were
least likely to do no additional testing (16%), while as
many as 26% Abbott CGM users did not carry out these
extra tests.
Overall, the majority of the sample (61%) carried out a
'conventional' blood test when they were unsure whether
the CGM reading was accurate, while the rest gave a
variety of reasons: 39% overall tested while waiting for
a new CGM sensor to 'settle down' before they felt they
could trust its readings, while another 28% ran a test
when their glucose levels were rising or falling quickly.
Another 25% tested in order to calibrate their CGM,
while 13% did so when they wanted to make a decision
about how much insulin they needed (or to give a
correction dose).
In general, seasoned CGM users appear to be generally
more confident about the accuracy of their devices: those
who have had them for over two years are less likely to
Constant Contact Survey Results
Campaign Name: Ascensia Survey in association with Desang Diabetes Magazine June 2023
Survey Starts: 980
Survey Submits: 453
Export Date: 08/04/2023 01:14 PM
CHECKBOXES
Q1: Which ONE of the following statements best describes yourself?
Answer Choice 0% 100%
Number of
Responses
Responses
Ratio
I am a person with Type 1
diabetes 362 79%
I am a person with Type 2
diabetes 62 13%
I am a person with another
type of diabetes (e.g. MODY,
LADA, unsure) 15 3%
I am a carer who supports a
person with Type 1 diabetes 15 3%
I am a carer who supports a
person with Type 2 diabetes 1 0%
I am a healthcare
professional managing
people with diabetes 2 0%
Total Responses 453 100%
CHECKBOXES
Q2: Which ONE of the following statements best describes how you (or the person you support) currently
monitor your/their diabetes?
Answer Choice 0% 100%
Number of
Responses
Responses
Ratio
I/they regularly use a CGM 425 93%
I/they use a CGM
occasionally and use a blood
glucose meter at other times 31 6%
Total Responses 453 100%
CHECKBOXES
Q3: How long have you/they been using a CGM?
Answer Choice 0% 100%
Number of
Responses
Responses
Ratio
Less than 12 months 62 13%
Between 1-2 years 77 16%
Longer than 2 years 314 69%
Total Responses 453 100%
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