The direct or indirect monitoring of blood glucose remains a key aspect of diabetes management. Any treatment plan for the person with diabetes will be constructed in part using this data, as will any future modifications, such as escalation or de-escalation of therapies. Thus, this glucose data must be complete, reliable and must provide accurate information about actual glucose levels, trends and variability.
Established glucose monitoring methods such as capillary blood glucose monitoring and continuous glucose monitoring are the most widely used technologies in South Africa.
If our ultimate goal in managing diabetes is to prevent complications as well as to acutely reduce exposure to severe hypo- and hyperglycaemia, then consideration of a novel Glycemia Risk Index (GRI) is meritorious. As stated by Klonoff et al (2023), “The GRI is a single-number summary of the quality of glycemia. Its hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia components provide actionable scores… that van be used by clinicians… to determine the effects of prescribed medications and interventional treatments.”
This CDE Academy Journal Club session will serve to formalize our knowledge base on the GRI concept, enhance our utilization in deploying such in clinical practice, and ultimately promote better long-term outcomes for our clients.
Klonoff DC et al (2023) ‘A Glycemia Risk Index (GRI) of Hypoglycemia and Hyperglycemia for Continuous Glucose Monitoring Validated by Clinician Ratings’ J Diabetes Sci Technol 17(5) pp: 1226-1242.
