Present and Future of Research on Continuous Glucose Monitoring: A Narrative Review

Purpose: Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) plays a crucial role in helping patients with diabetes manage their blood sugar levels. This review aimed to understand the context and scope of CGM-related studies in Korea and identified areas for future research, particularly in nursing science. Methods: The search strategy involved examining eight electronic databases for published studies on CGM, with the search period ending in March 2022. Four independent reviewers conducted screening, selection, and narrative review of the studies. Results: Descriptive and substantive analyses were performed for 68 studies on CGM, which covered diverse areas, including: (1) evaluating the CGM performance through comparisons with self-monitoring of blood glucose and correlations with existing indices; (2) validating the efficacy of CGM in improving patient outcomes and assessing various interventions; and (3) expanding the use of CGM, such as clinical guidelines and reviews, developing predictive models, and other clinical studies. Conclusion: Research on CGM has expanded to include early performance evaluation, efficacy verification, and utilization in various clinical settings. However, there is a lack of nursing-focused studies of CGM. It is recommended to incorporate CGM in nursing research aimed at enhancing self-management for patients with diabetes. Future projects should focus on developing and applying patient-customized CGM user manuals, comparing the effectiveness of CGM among patients with different types of diabetes, exploring qualitative experiences of CGM use, and addressing related issues.