G479(P) Adherence to blood glucose monitoring in children and young people with type 1 diabetes on insulin pump therapy in a teaching hospital:

Abstract

Aims Children and young people with Type 1 diabetes on insulin pump therapy are expected to perform 4-8 capillary blood glucose (BG) tests per day for better glycaemic control. Our objective was to find out whether our patients adhered to the expected BG monitoring. Methods Data was collected from 78 patients during a clinic visit over a period of one year. All children have glucometers which wirelessly transmits the data to their insulin pump. Average numbers of BG tests per day and mean BG levels were downloaded through the pump software for two weeks prior to their clinic visit. Results 48 children (61.5%) did 4-8 BG tests per day while 18 (23.1%) did more than 8 tests. 12 (15.4%) who did less than 4 per day had a mean age of 14.8 years. We found moderately significant negative correlation between age and frequency of BG testing (Pearson's correlation coefficient (R) = -0.57) and also number of BG tests and mean BG levels (R=-0.52). There was a weak negative correlation between number of BG tests and HbA1c levels (R = -0.31). 5 patients (6.4%) entered fictitious BG levels manually into their pump and details are given in the table. Conclusion 84.6% of patients adhered to the expected number of BG tests while a 15.4% did not. The negative correlation between the number of BG tests and mean BG levels confirms the importance of frequent BG monitoring to improve glycaemic control. 6.4% (mainly adolescents) were manually entering fictitious BG levels which offered false assurance to family and clinician. Diabetic teams should be aware of this and vigilant to detect noncompliance in adolescents on insulin pump and offer appropriate counselling. (Table Presented).