Impact on the well-being perceived by caregivers of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes following the use of interstitial glucose measurement systems

Introduction: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM-1) is one of the most common chronic childhood diseases, and it is essential to optimize glycemic control in order to avoid complications. For years, interstitial glucose measurement systems (MGI systems) have been among the new technologies at the forefront of self-care.

Objectives: To determine the impact on the well-being of the caregivers of patients with DM-1 under 18 years of age, controlled at a Pediatric Diabetes Unit of a third level hospital, of the use of MGI systems.

Material and methods: This was an observational, descriptive and analytical cohort study based on a questionnaire completed by the patients' caregivers, as well as from the patient's clinical history.

Results: There were 120 participants (55.5% males), with a mean age 13.20 +/- 3.71 years and mean glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) 7.36% +/- 0.90. 52.5% of the sample used MGI systems. The caregivers of patients using MGI systems showed significantly higher scores (p < 0.05) regarding well-being, compared to the caregivers of patients not using this technology. In the former, a significant improvement (p < 0.05) in these variables with respect to the values prior to the beginning of their use was observed.

Conclusions: The use of MGI systems for diabetes self-management in our study led to a greater sense of well-being on the part of caregivers compared with before their introduction, as well as in comparison with those who continued to perform measurements using daily capillary glycemias.