Research presented at the Diabetes UK Professional Conference 2022 has revealed Flash technology not only helps improve blood glucose levels in people with type 1 diabetes compared with traditional finger-prick testing, but is also cost-effective, by enabling safer blood glucose levels and reducing the risk of diabetes complications.
The study, funded by Diabetes UK, involved 156 people with type 1 diabetes who had above-target blood glucose levels. After 24 weeks, participants who used Flash had reduced their HbA1c from an average of 71.6 mmol/mol to 62.7 mmol/mol – a reduction of 8.49 mmol/mol. Lowering HbA1c by this amount can decrease the risk of developing diabetes complications in the future by up to 40%. In comparison, those in the finger prick group had reduced their HbA1c on average by only 2.2 mmol/mol by the end of the study.
In addition, those using the Flash technology spent an extra 2 hours a day with their blood glucose levels in the target range and 80% less time with dangerously low blood glucose levels.
The researchers also discovered that and although slightly more expensive than finger-pricking over a lifetime, Flash was highly cost-effective.
Flash glucose monitoring technology was first made available through the NHS in 2017. Currently, about half of people living with type 1 diabetes are prescribed Flash on the NHS. At the end of 2021, NICE launched a consultation on new guidelines which proposed recommending Flash for all people with type 1 diabetes.