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. 2020 Jan;14(1):77-82.
doi: 10.1177/1932296819856360. Epub 2019 Jun 19.

Cellular-Enabled Glucometers and Maternal Glucose Control: A Quality Improvement Initiative

Sarah A Wernimont  1   2 , Jessica S Sheng  1 , Diedre Fleener  1 , Karen M Summers  1 , Craig Syrop  1 , Janet I Andrews  1
Affiliations

Cellular-Enabled Glucometers and Maternal Glucose Control: A Quality Improvement Initiative

Sarah A Wernimont et al. J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2020 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Management of diabetes in pregnancy is burdensome due to self-glucose monitoring, recording, and reporting demands. Cellular-enabled glucometers provide real-time transmission of glucose values independent of internet access and cell phone data plans. We describe a quality improvement (QI) intervention that introduced cellular-enabled glucometers for use during pregnancies complicated by diabetes.

Methods: Our aim was to improve maternal glucose control in a cohort of insulin-requiring pregnant women enrolled in a telemedicine diabetes program. During initial establishment of a QI program, women were offered cellular-enabled glucometers but could elect to keep their standard meter. The primary outcome evaluated was glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) at delivery.

Results: Baseline characteristics including initial HbA1c were similar between women using a standard glucometer (n = 45) and those using a cellular-enabled glucometer (n = 72). Women who used a cellular-enabled glucometer had a lower HbA1c at delivery compared to those using a standard glucometer (5.8% vs 6.3%, P = .03). This improvement was particularly notable for women with poor glucose control (defined as HbA1c >6.5%) at initial obstetric visit. Women with poor glucose control who used a cellular-enabled glucose monitor had significantly lower HbA1c at delivery (6.0% vs 6.8%, P = .03) and greater change from initial visit compared to those using a standard glucometer (-2.6% vs -1.4%, P = .02). No statistically significant differences were detected in tracked neonatal outcomes.

Conclusion: For pregnancies complicated by insulin-requiring diabetes, use of cellular-enabled glucometers as part of a perinatal diabetes program improves glucose control at delivery with timely transmission of accurate values throughout gestation.

Keywords: cellular-enabled glucometer; diabetes; glucometer; pregnancy; quality; telemedicine.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Study sample of women enrolled in perinatal diabetes program.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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