Technologies for Diabetes Self-Monitoring: A Scoping Review and Assessment Using the REASSURED Criteria

Abstract

Background: Self-management is an important pillar for diabetes control and to achieve it, glucose self-monitoring devices are needed. Currently, there exist several different devices in the market and many others are being developed. However, whether these devices are suitable to be used in resource constrained settings is yet to be evaluated.

Aims: To assess existing glucose monitoring tools and also those in development against the REASSURED which have been previously used to evaluate diagnostic tools for communicable diseases.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review by searching PubMed for peer-review articles published in either English, Spanish or Portuguese in the last 5 years. We selected papers including information about devices used for self-monitoring and tested on humans with diabetes; then, the REASSURED criteria were used to assess them.

Results: We found a total of 7 continuous glucose monitoring device groups, 6 non-continuous, and 6 devices in development. Accuracy varied between devices and most of them were either invasive or minimally invasive. Little to no evidence is published around robustness, affordability and delivery to those in need. However, when reviewing publicly available prices, none of the devices would be affordable for people living in low- and middle-income countries.

Conclusions: Available devices cannot be considered adapted for use in self-monitoring in resource constraints settings. Further studies should aim to develop less-invasive devices that do not require a large set of components. Additionally, we suggest some improvement in the REASSURED criteria such as the inclusion of patient-important outcomes to increase its appropriateness to assess non-communicable diseases devices.

Keywords: diabetes; monitoring devices; scoping review; self-monitoring.

Figure 1.

PRISMA flowchart.

Figure 2.

RE-ASSURED criteria for continuous glucose monitoring devices. Coding: green if it fulfils the criteria, red if it does not, orange were results were inclusive or partially met, and grey if no information was found in the revised articles.

Figure 3.

RE-ASSURED criteria for non-continuous glucose monitoring devices. Coding: green if it fulfils the criteria, red if it does not, orange were results were inclusive or partially met, and grey if no information was found in the revised articles.