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Diabetes patients benefit from GP-led CGM access: Study
Less hospital visits and improved HBA1c levels were seen in patients with continuous glucose monitoring managed by GPs.
A new American study of GP-initiated continuous glucose monitoring has shown promising results in underserved populations.
Patients with diabetes who receive a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) through their GP have improved health and significant reductions in recurrent hospitalisations and emergency department visits.
This is the conclusion of researchers from the United States in a new study published in JAMA Network, who say that increasing the use of CGM by GPs could make better diabetes care more accessible.
However, high costs of the technology will keep CGM out of the reach of many Australians who could benefit most from it, according to a diabetes expert.
Dr Gary Deed, Chair of RACGP Specific Interests Diabetes, told newsGP he would like to see the technology made more available across general practice to improve equity.
‘A major number of people with diabetes work against social and economic inequity, often having higher risks from diabetes complications, and would benefit from access to CGM,’ he said.
Across three years until August 2025, the researchers studied 8502 patients with diabetes at Montefiore Medical Centre, a safety-net hospital system in the Bronx, New York.
The facility has a primarily Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black patient population, with the highest diabetes prevalence in New York State.
None of the participants had used CGM before the study, for which 2392 were prescribed a CGM by their GP.
After a year, larger decreases in blood sugar levels were seen in the patients prescribed the CGM. They also had a lower risk of recurrent hospitalisations and emergency department visits.
‘These findings support expanding CGM implementation in primary care settings as a scalable strategy to improve diabetes outcomes and reduce acute care utilisation, particularly in underserved populations,’ wrote the researchers.
Dr Deed said while the study is ‘interesting’, it is hard to translate its findings to the Australian healthcare system as many of the study participants had higher starting HBA1c levels.
He said it also suffered from selection bias, due to participants being more financially supported for healthcare coverage.
In Australia, the cost of CGM, at around $100 a fortnight on average, is ‘prohibitive compared to self-monitoring finger-prick testing’, said Dr Deed.
He said there some ‘industry supportive schemes’ that allow a person with diabetes to access CGM for a fortnight at a time at lower costs.
‘But if it cannot be implemented continuously, the clinical utility is harder to justify,’ he said.
‘There needs to be a guide for intermittent use, such as initiation or dose adjustment for insulin, sick days and pre- or post-operative.
Dr Deed encourages GPs who are managing diabetes in patients, particularly those with insulin-requiring diabetes, to ‘at least offer access and inform the person about this new technology’.
However, he also emphasises that diabetes management ‘now encompasses way more than just glycaemia-focused management’.
‘The importance of a healthy heart, kidney, eyes and feet plus lifestyle and mental health should also be prioritised,’ he said.
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