Advantages & Disadvantages of CGM and Remote Monitoring in Diabetes

 

Moreover, the blood glucose level data provided by CGM is wider and presents a comprehensive picture of glucose level variations in blood as compared to traditional testing kits (Karakuş et al., 2021). The disadvantages of this technology include the heavy cost of initial purchasing of CGM devices which makes them inaccessible to many patients. Furthermore, insertion of sensors can be inconvenient for some individuals and their regular maintenance is uncomfortable for patients as the sensors need to be changed every few days. The technical errors shown by sensors are another disadvantage of this technique which makes it doubtful for many patients and healthcare staff (Karakuş et al., 2021).

Capella 4900 Assessment 3

Remote monitoring of diabetes management in terms of medication and healthy lifestyle adherence promotes the transmission of patient health and medication data to healthcare providers in real-time. Healthcare providers are notified about medication adherence and compliance to healthy lifestyles and monitor the current status at their clinics remotely. Moreover, it benefits patients in staying consistent with diabetes management and healthcare providers in adjusting treatment according to the data provided by patients remotely.

Remote monitoring facilitates patient-centered care and reduces the expenses of traveling to the hospital for clinical visits as healthcare providers can consult with patients through smartphone applications where patient data sharing and remote monitoring are observed (Andrès et al., 2019). The disadvantages related to this technology include technical issues such as unavailability of the internet and cost issues i.e. lack of expenses to afford it. Furthermore, lack of contextual information such as side effects to medicines, reasons for missed doses, and requirement for change in plan is a major issue in remote monitoring for medication adherence as only patient medication compliance is tracked in this technology.

Additionally, patient information security is an issue in sharing patient medical and health data electronically. This requires the implementation of privacy regulations and policies to protect patient confidentiality.  Face-to-face clinical sessions are exempted from utilizing this technology which provides better communication and improves the interaction between patient and healthcare provider (Walker et al., 2019).

Current Professional Practice

The evidence provided for these technologies used in healthcare setups is consistent with what I see in my current nursing practice. The use of remote monitoring in diabetes for medication adherence in current practice poses these benefits and drawbacks to patients and healthcare providers. The identified potential barriers to utilizing remote patient monitoring in terms of medication adherence are technological barriers (lack of internet or presence of glitches), affordability barriers (lack of resources), and security concerns (lack of trust in technology). The costs for remote monitoring include expenditures on procuring resources like mobile phones, internet facilities, and training on using these platforms for proper transmission of medication administration data.