Youth and parent satisfaction with clinical use of the GlucoWatch G2 Biographer in the management of pediatric type 1 diabetes

Abstract

Objective: A continuous glucose monitor satisfaction scale (CGM-SAT) was evaluated during a 6-month randomized controlled trial of the GlucoWatch G2 Biographer (GW2B) in youths with type 1 diabetes.

Research design and methods: At the end of the 6-month trial, 97 parents and 66 older children who had been randomized to the GW2B group completed the CGM-SAT, which assesses satisfaction on 37 items using a five-point Likert scale. Descriptive analysis, calculation of several reliability estimates, and assessment of concurrent validity were performed.

Results: The CGM-SAT demonstrated high internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.95 for parents and 0.94 for youths aged > or = 11 years), split-half reliability (rho = 0.91 for parents and 0.93 for youths), and parent-adolescent agreement (rho = 0.68, P < 0.001). Convergent validity was supported by marginally significant associations with treatment adherence and frequency of GW2B use. CGM-SAT scores did not correlate significantly with changes in treatment adherence, quality of life, or diabetes-related anxiety from baseline to 6 months. Mean scores on CGM-SAT items indicated that 81% of parental responses and 73% of youths' responses were less favorable than "neutral." Descriptive analysis indicated the GW2B requires substantial improvement before it can achieve widespread clinical utility and acceptance.

Conclusions: The results supported the psychometric properties of the CGM-SAT. The CGM-SAT warrants further research use and cross-validation with other continuous glucose monitors. This study provides a benchmark for comparison with new glucose sensors.