In this study, I investigated a new use case for continuous glucose monitors (CGMs).
Study rationale: CGMs are commonly used by patients with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes to monitor their blood sugar without the use of finger sticks. When patients are admitted to the hospital for emergencies or routine surgeries, current hospital protocol requires the removal of the CGM. The removal of the CGM may be detrimental to the recovery of the admitted patient because it removes the ability to have continuous blood glucose data. Clinicians then perform scheduled finger sticks on patients, making treatment decisions based on static data instead of continuous data. These regular finger sticks often require waking them up while they are sleeping or in recovery, which increases patient stress and discomfort. Additionally, the standard needles used in the hospital to perform the finger sticks are larger than the needles patients would use at home, further increasing their pain and discomfort. This study set out to gauge receptiveness among medical staff to the use of CGMs in the hospital environment and to understand how they would like to integrate CGM data into their workflows and medical decision making processes.