Grace is a 38-year-old female who has lived with type 1 diabetes for 20 years. She is a nurse and works variable shifts. She voices concern today about her hemoglobin A1c being elevated at 8.4% over the past 6 months. She is doing everything she can to manage her diet, daily exercise routine, and reports rarely missing insulin doses. She is currently using a Dexcom G7 CGM.
She has never pursued insulin pump therapy because she was fearful that she would no longer be in control of her diabetes if she used a pump. She is now interested in an automated insulin delivery system and asks you which pump is “best” for controlling blood sugar.
What is the best way to answer this question?
- Discuss the insulin pump options that connect with the Dexcom G7 CGM. This will help simplify her transition to pump therapy by minimizing the learning curve when starting an AID system.
- Acknowledge Grace’s interest in insulin pump technology and recommend that she wait until more advanced insulin pump algorithms are available that are easier to use.
- Recommend that Grace use a tubeless pump as it will suit her better due to her work as a nurse and active lifestyle. This will help to avoid tubing issues or the insertion site becoming dislodged.
- Review with Grace the details of all the available insulin pumps, algorithms, and compatible CGMs so she can make a personalized decision based on her preferences and lifestyle.
