RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Time in range (TIR) is a metric of glycaemic target management derived from continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data. This study aimed to understand knowledge of and attitudes towards use of TIR among healthcare professionals (HCPs), and gain insights into benefits and barriers to its use in clinical practice. METHODS: An online survey was disseminated across seven countries. Participants were sampled from online HCP panels and were aware of TIR (defined as amount of time in, below, and above target range). Participants were HCPs classified as specialists (SP), generalists (GP), or allied HCPs (AP; diabetes nurse specialists, diabetes educators, general nurses, nurse practitioners/physician assistants). RESULTS: Respondents included 741 SP, 671 GP and 307 AP. Most HCPs (approximately 90%) agreed TIR is likely/somewhat likely to become the standard of diabetes management. Perceived benefits of TIR included helping to optimise medication regimen (SP, 71%; GP, 73%; AP, 74%), giving HCPs the knowledge and insights to make informed clinical decisions (SP, 66%; GP, 61%; AP, 72%), and empowering people with diabetes with information to successfully manage their diabetes (SP, 69%; GP, 77%; AP, 78%). Barriers to wider adoption included limited CGM access (SP, 65%; GP, 74%; AP, 69%) and lack of HCP training/education (SP, 45%; GP, 59%; AP, 51%). Most participants considered integration of TIR into clinical guidelines, recognition of TIR by regulators as a primary clinical endpoint, and recognition of TIR by payers as a parameter for diabetes treatment evaluation as key factors for increased use. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, HCPs agreed on the benefits of using TIR for diabetes management. Besides raising awareness among HCPs and people with diabetes, more training and healthcare system updates are needed to facilitate increased TIR use. In addition, integration into clinical guidelines and recognition by regulators and payers are needed.
'Time in range' is the proportion of time in a day that a person's glucose level is within a particular range. The purpose of this study was to understand knowledge of and attitudes towards use of TIR among healthcare professionals. The study was carried out using an online survey and participants from seven countries were included. Participants were healthcare professionals classified as specialists (SP), generalists (GP), or allied healthcare professionals (AP; diabetes nurse specialists, diabetes educators, general nurses, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants). Overall, 1719 participants were included in the study. Most healthcare professionals (approximately 90%) agreed that time in range is likely/somewhat likely to become the standard of diabetes management. Participants reported the following benefits of time in range: helping to optimise medication regimen, giving healthcare professionals the knowledge and insights to make informed clinical decisions, and empowering people with diabetes with information to successfully manage their diabetes. The most common barrier to wider time in range adoption was limited access to continuous glucose monitoring (SP, 65%; GP, 74%; AP, 69%), followed by lack of healthcare professionals' training/education (SP, 45%; GP, 59%; AP, 51%). Most participants considered integration of time in range into clinical guidelines, recognition of time in range by regulators as a primary clinical endpoint, and recognition of time in range by payers as a parameter for evaluation of diabetes treatment as key factors for the increased use of time in range.
