Top five for cgm

[Tdm]

Just for fun, whats your top 5 important things in a cgm?

I think
1/ accurate
2/ reliable (no wigging out when things get interesting)
3/ interconnectivity
4/ quick warm up
5/ how long they last

 

[Lauren]

Hmm never thought about this!

Probably
1. Accuracy
2. Ease of insertion
3. Stickiness!
4. How often needed to calibrate (this was a real annoyance of mine with my old Medtronic sensor as it seemed to need to be calibrated every few hours!)
5. How long they last

 

[helli]

The thing I would add to the list is
"Ability to calibrate"
As @Lauren mentioned, I don't want to keep calibrating but having no ability to align the sensor to my body is frustrating and why I use xDrip+ when I use Libre.

I would also qualify the accuracy - "Accuracy between 4.0 and 10.0". I know not to trust the accuracy outside this range but would rely upon it for bolus calculation when I am "in range".
Maybe I would rate "Accuracy between 10.0 and 15.0" as a lower priority requirement.

Reliability is an interesting requirement as it could mean a few things such as not breaking completely, not giving the "come back in 10 minutes" message or not losing connectivity to the reader, which I prefer to be a phone app but know others still prefer/need a separate device.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Interesting question! Based on the frustrations I’ve had with various systems…

1. Viable accuracy (good flow if workable data I can pretty much trust)
2. Factory calibrated with ability to calibrate (for when I get a wobbly one)
3. Responsiveness / lack of lag
4. Reliability / few failures
5. Glue / no skin reaction / stickability

I would have included the ability to re-start while I was self-funding pretty high up the list too, as the only way I could afford any meaningful HCL coverage was to stretch sensors for twice their official lifespan.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

How often needed to calibrate (this was a real annoyance of mine with my old Medtronic sensor as it seemed to need to be calibrated every few hours!)

Ugh! Was that the G3? Those were forever waking me at night nagging for a calibration

 

[Lauren]

Ugh! Was that the G3? Those were forever waking me at night nagging for a calibration

Yes! So glad the Guardian 4 isn't as needy!

 

[goodybags]

OK so my five recommendations would be

accuracy
ease of use / including understanding what it’s showing in the app (or reader)
compatibility with phones & other apps
reliability (including the willingness of manufacturer to replace any faulty devices)
price (especially important for anybody who is self funding)

 

[Inka]

Mine would be:

- size/shape (I went for the G7 over the G6 because I didn’t want anything that big/lumpy)
- accuracy and ability to maintain accuracy by calibration
- reliability (I don’t want frequent error messages or failures)
- good range of alerts/alarms (I like Falling Fast, Urgent Low approaching, etc)
- durability: ie stickness

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Yes! So glad the Guardian 4 isn't as needy!

I missed the G4 years, and rejoined with Simplera, which has been great as a funded sensor, but can’t be restarted so wouldn’t have suited me when self-funding.

 

[Loobyloo]

Accuracy
Being able to Calibrate
Reliability to stay connected and last full predicted life
Work with most phones available
Be more affordable for NHS and self funded

 

[Satan’s little helper]

Fun topic. 1. A rechargeable transmitter that could save on electronic disposable waste. 2. Probe assembly that could sit under the skin longer. 3. Non disposable applicators for the aforementioned probe. (Appreciated they would need a new hole punch on each fitting.) 4. Developer app consultation with the crew that bring out third party apk’s. 5. Just musing now. I find it bizarre that a company like Samsung can release a UI upgrade to an old Galaxy watch 4 to bring the latest features that were only previously available on a newer model, (like the 7.) yet Abbot can’t bring their app inline with what the GitHub crowd can do with third party apps? (Refer to number 4.)

 

[Chelseagirl]

For me it would be
Accuracy. As a self funder I wouldn’t pay for something that I had to add/minus from the reading
Ability to calibrate so it’s as close to my blood reading as possible, for the same reasons as accuracy
Stickiness, but I have never had any problems with that, in fact probably more the other way!
One thing I would like improved is the longevity of the sensor. Again as a self funder it would be nice if it lasted more than 10 days.
Another is the single use plastics in these things. My bin men will not take the applicators in recycling so they have to be binned which I’m not too happy about.
As an iPhone user, I’m quite happy with the app updates with Dexcom.

 

[SimonP]

1) Reliability
2) Interoperability (the standard manufacturer app should do nothing more than broadcast new readings for other apps to use - let devs with the skills write logging apps and provide calibration routines rather than locking people into a sub-par app. This also avoids the need to reverse engineer things)
3) Accuracy
4) Lag (or lack thereof - though this is probably a given for interstitial devices)
5) Robustness (of both device + sticky patch)

 

[PhoebeC]

1/ accurate
2/ reliable (no wigging out when things get interesting)
3/ stickiness
4/ no need for calibration
5/ sites -libre 2 + just wouldn’t talk with my Omnipod 5

Having moved from 1 hour connection to 2, I don’t mind at all. Or the 15 days now 10. I thought I would mind. I don’t at all.

 

[SB2015]

1 reliability
2 good stickability
3 minimal callibration needed
4 good algorithm using data from sensor
Easy transition between sensors in HCl