Written By: Aliyah L Carty, Zemen Habtemariam
Edited By: Zemen Habtemariam and Kenneth Dandurand
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 34.2 million Americans have diabetes.1 Blood glucose monitoring is necessary for patients with diabetes to determine if their medication is helping to keep their blood sugar at a safe level. There are many types of glucose monitoring devices available on the market; here are a few of the newest ones that work in their own way:
Innovative Types of Glucose Monitoring Devices
1) Care Touch Glucose Monitoring kit is an all-in-one monitoring system that includes lancets, test strips, the Care Touch Monitor, and battery.
Pros: Gives blood sugar results in as little as 5 seconds; stores up to 300 readings at a time.3 Contains all the items required in one inclusive kit.
Cons: Patients must remember to test their sugar levels themselves (not ideal for those who do not like fingerstick.)
2) Freestyle Libre Continuous Glucose Monitor, which does not require any fingerstick. The patient wears a sensor on their upper arm and waves a monitor above the sensor to get glucose readings.3
Pros: Does not require finger-sticking and can be appealing to patients whose sugar levels have to be tested multiple times a day. Covered by most insurance plans with a $10-75 per month copay. In case of Freestyle Libre 2, has a built-in alarm on the sensor that says when the blood sugar is too high or too low, and it can be used by patients 4 and up (Freestyle Libre is used in patients 18 and up).
Cons: Patients need to replace the sensor every 10 to 14 days.
3) Dexcom G6: The patient will wear a sensor on their abdomen and download the corresponding app to a device of their choice - phone, tablet, or iPad - to track their blood sugar throughout the day.
Pros: The app will alert them when their sugar is running too high or too low, and they will have the ability to share readings with others. Sensors are covered by most insurance plans.2
Cons: The sensor does have to be replaced every 10 days.
There are a variety of glucose monitoring devices available, and patients should talk with their doctors to see which one would work best for them.
References
National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2020 [Internet]. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2020 [cited 2021Sep23]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/features/diabetes-stat-report.html#:~:text=34.2%20million%20Americans%E2%80%94just%20over,Asians%20and%20non%2DHispanic%20whites.
Srunyon. Get started with Dexcom CGM [Internet]. Dexcom. 2021 [cited 2021Sep23]. Available from: https://www.dexcom.com/get-started-cgm/51?sfc=701f30000018vigAAA&msclkid=2e05f203755e1841b0fc935074d793f5&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=SCH_B_US_G6&utm_term=dexcom+g6&utm_content=G6_Pure_EX&nclid=uYopyUmxa-O2rL9I9H1ueSAwOK31Py1vDnfn3X3NV6IcDukRYCXKsZOJuaVpPWxR&dclid=CPCY75PNofMCFUywnwodKi8I4w
Person. 7 best glucose monitors 2021: From affordable to continuous [Internet]. Healthline. Healthline Media; 2021 [cited 2021Sep23]. Available from: https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/best-glucose-monitors#top-picks
Freestyle Libre vs Freestyle Libre 2 CGM [Internet]. US MED. 2021 [cited 2021Oct8]. Available from: https://www.usmed.com/blog/freestyle-libre-vs-freestyle-libre-2-cgm/
About the Author
Aliyah L Carty, PharmD Candidate 2022
Clinical Pharmacy Associate, Student Rotation
Aliyah Carty is a fourth year pharmacy student at the University of Maryland Baltimore. She is currently completing her patient care rotation at Clinical Pharmacy Associates. She received her B.S. in Biology from University of Maryland, College Park. She has been a pharmacy technician for four years with most of her work experience being in a community pharmacy setting. Aliyah was the HIV Remember the Ribbon Chair for Student National Pharmaceutical Association. Her interests include diabetes, transplant, and infectious disease.
Zemen Habtemariam, PharmD
Pharmacy Practice Fellow for Clinical Pharmacy Associates
Dr. Zemen Habtemariam, PharmD, is a Pharmacy Practice Fellow for Clinical Pharmacy Associates. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from University of Maryland, College Park and received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. He serves as the Pharmacy Practice Research Fellow for Clinical Pharmacy Associates, Inc. He has had broad range of pharmacist experience in community, managed care, and clinical trial settings. He has previously served as the Pharmacist of Record on multiple investigational drug trials. He also assisted in coordinating transitions of care for atypical antipsychotic patients for the Maryland Medicaid Peer Review Program, and conducted comprehensive medication reviews for Spanish-speaking patients for AdhereHealth
Kenneth Dandurand, RPh, MS
Co-Founder and CEO of Clinical Pharmacy Associates, Inc. and Co-Founder and President of MedNovations, Inc. Board Member Asperger/Autism Network
Ken is an ASHP residency trained clinical pharmacist with a BS from Northeastern University and a Master’s from Oregon State University. As an entrepreneur and researcher for 35 years he co-founded Clinical Pharmacy Associates and MedNovations successful leaders in providing direct pharmaceutical care via tele-pharmacy. He is dedicated to improving the delivery of medication therapy management to consumers. To that end, Ken has authored a chapter in the Book “Misadventures in Health Care: Inside Stories” titled “Prescription for Error.”