Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2025-06
FRONTIER—FreeStyle Libre System Use in Ontario Among People with Diabetes Mellitus in the IC/ES Database—Evidence from Real-World Practice: Patients Using Intensive Insulin
Diabetes mellitus is associated with significant health care resource utilization (HCRU), partly due to acute complications, including diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hypoglycemia.
Aim:
To investigate glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and HCRU before and after adoption of FreeStyle Libre Systems (FSL) in people with diabetes on multiple daily injections of insulin (MDI).
Methods:
This retrospective longitudinal study used administrative health data in Ontario, Canada, housed at IC/ES. The cohort comprised people with diabetes on MDI with a first FSL claim between September 16, 2019, and August 31, 2020 (index date), who remained on FSL for 24 months. HCRU (emergency department [ED] visits and hospitalization) was measured for 12 months before the index date and the last 12 months of follow-up. HbA1c data were taken from the last tests in each period.
Results:
Mean HbA1c was statistically significantly reduced after FSL among people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM; n = 10,510; age <25 years, −0.8%; 25–65 years, −0.5%; >65 years, −0.1%; all P < 0.0001) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM; n = 12,668; age ≤65 years, −0.6%; >65 years, −0.3%; both P < 0.0001). Overall HCRU was statistically significantly reduced in the T1DM subgroups aged <25 and 25–65 years (ED visits only) and both T2DM age subgroups, with some subgroups having statistically significant reductions in DKA- or hypoglycemia-associated HCRU.
Conclusions:
Among people with T1DM or T2DM on MDI, HbA1c was statistically significantly reduced after FSL, with statistically significant reductions in HCRU in some subgroups.
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