Youths with Type 1 Diabetes' and Their Parents' Experiences of Insulin Pumps and Continuous Glucose Monitoring

To enhance the quality of life for individuals with type 1 diabetes and mitigate the risks of complications, new methods for insulin delivery and glucose monitoring are being developed. The ability to monitor a child's glucose levels via a mobile phone can provide parents with a feeling of security, potentially leading to improved sleep quality. However, constant monitoring could lead to increased stress both for youths and parents.

The aim of the study was to explore how youths with type 1 diabetes and their parents experienced using insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring devices (CGM) and the support from the diabetes team. Further, to explore their opinions about the glucose target HbA1c ≤ 48 mmol/mol (6.5%) and other glucose metabolic measurements.

Sixteen individual interviews were performed with eight youths with type 1 diabetes and their parents. Qualitative content analysis was done according to Graneheim and Lundman.

The participants described increased satisfaction, security, strengthened independence and increased freedom. The parents described improved sleep at night leading to increased quality of life. The participants had not reflected so much over the change when the glucose target was lowered in 2017, but they found time in tight range to be more useful. They had a positive experience of healthcare with easy accessibility and continuity, and they described technical support as important.

Insulin pumps and CGM facilitate everyday life for both youths and their parents, and the opportunity to follow their youth's glucose values does not seem to be a problem to neither youths nor parents. The lowering of the glucose target is not something that parents and youth had much concern about, and they consider the gluco-metabolic measurement time in tight range to be more useful.