The Potential Impact of the FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System on Mental Well-Being and Treatment Satisfaction in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes: A Prospective Study

IntroductionThis study assessed the treatment satisfaction and sense of well-being attained when patients with type 1 diabetes use the FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitoring system (FSL; Abbott Diabetes Care, Inc., Alameda, CA, USA).MethodsA 12-week prospective study was conducted from January 2018 to May 2018 at the Diabetes Treatment Center, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Study participants (aged 14-21years) were treated for type 1 diabetes with an insulin pump (IP) (n =10) or multiple dose injections (MDI) (n=23), and used the conventional finger-pricking method for glucose self-testing. At the baseline visit, FSL sensors were placed on each participant by a trained diabetes educator. At baseline and 12weeks, a trained interviewer administered the Arabic version of the Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (DTSQ) and the WHO-5 Well-Being Index (WHO-5) (1998 version) questionnaire.ResultsAs compared with the baseline, positive differences were found after 12weeks of FSL use for all of the items in the DTSQ (p <0.001) and the WHO-5 questionnaire (p<0.001). The overall score for the DTSQ improved from a mean (SD) of 14.46.5 at baseline to 32.11.8 at 12weeks. For the WHO-5 questionnaire, the overall well-being percentage score improved from 45.1% at baseline to 93.6% at 12weeks (p <0.001).Conclusion Use of the FSL along with IP or MDI led to higher treatment satisfaction and a greater sense of mental well-being compared with the baseline conventional finger-pricking method.Funding No funding or sponsorship was received for this study. The article processing charges were funded by Abbott Diabetes Care.