Gone are the days of using single or periodic glucose readings to manage diabetes.
Today, technology allows for continuous glucose monitoring. This gives primary care physicians the information they need to better educate patients, and it gives patients the ability and motivation to make healthy choices.
During an executive roundtable at Becker's 9th Annual Health IT + Digital Health + RCM Meeting, Tom Grace, MD, director of the Blanchard Valley Diabetes Center in Findlay, Ohio, and head of advocacy and clinical outcomes at Dexcom, summarized the growing problem of diabetes in the United States and described how CGM technology can take patient care to a new level.
Three takeaways:
1. Diabetes is a growing problem in the U.S. According to Dr. Grace, obesity and type 2 diabetes have both been on the rise in the last three decades. "Today, we have 38 million adults diagnosed with diabetes in the U.S. and 98 million people with prediabetes," he said. "That's equivalent to everyone west of the Mississippi."
2. Continuous monitoring sends alerts before severe episodes occur. Severe hypoglycemia can be fatal, making early detection critical. "The alerts are tethered to your current glucose," Dr. Grace said. Alerts are sent to a patient's watch or phone with a 20-minute window to allow intervention.
3. Real-time data gives patients immediate feedback to encourage healthier life choices. "Consumers are taking action based on the data they get on a daily basis," Dr. Grace said. "So many patients have said, 'You wouldn't believe what orange juice, pizza or other food does to my glucose.' Those insights are immediate. Diabetes is the disease of balancing glucose."
The CGM device Dexcom G7 provides the immediate, real-time data that is needed to help patients and physicians balance glucose.