The usefulness of the FlashStyle Libre system in glycemic control in children with type 1 diabetes during summer camp

Type 1 diabetes requires the patient to be very involved in the treatment process, especially in terms of proper self-control. The new method of non-invasive glycemic control by scanning is an attractive alternative for patients requiring multiple measurements due to the high dynamics of glycemic changes. The aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of Flash FreeStyle Libre in glycemic control in children during summer camp on the basis of the participants’ completed questionnaire and on the basis of the assessment o the suitability of the system performed by medical staff based on a comparative analysis: glycemia by sensor and glucometer. Material and Methods. A study using the new Flash FreeStyle Libre glycemic control system was conducted at a seaside summer camp for children with diabetes at the seaside. The study included 75 children (32 boys and 43 girls), in mean 13.4 (SD 4.6) years old, with an average duration of diabetes of 6.5 (SD 4.5) years and mean HbA1c of 7.81% (SD 2.05). All camp participants were provided with Libre sensors, however, routine glucose control measurements with therapeutic decisions was made using traditional glucose meters. On the last day of the camp, after the removal of the sensors, a satisfaction survey was conducted to assess with a new self-monitoring method and a comparative analysis of the glucose results from the sensor with the personal glucose meters – MARD, MAD, and clinical errors on the Clarke Error Grid were calculated. Results. In the Libre user’s survey, wearing comfort and ease of installation were described as very good / good by 86% and 94% of the respondends, respectively. Ease of reading blood glucose by scan was positively evaluated by 92% of the respondents, 95% of the subjects did not report any side effects. The sensor remained intact for 14 days in 46 children (62%), which value was the basis for the statistical calculations. Comparative analysis of glucose results obtained from Libre measurements performed with glucose meters (3143 measurements) showed a relatively good MARD index – 18.22% on average, with a large individual variation (6.36–29.51%). Clarke Error Grid showed that 75.2% (2309) of the results were in Zone A (Acceptable Errors) and 95.81% (3012) in Zone A and B (Non-Negative Errors). Conclusion. Libre user’s satisfaction survey revealed that most of the respondents rated the cooperation with Flash FreeStyle Libre positively. The relatively good results of Libre in comparison with glucose meters have confirmed the usefulness of this method of monitoring glucose in summer camps for children with diabetes.