Table 3.

Benefits of the Hybrid Closed Loop System

Theme	Participant Examples
Steady glucose levels	“I tend to run higher at home and maybe 220 was the highest I went [in the study] and I’ve only had 3 lows, and none of those were below 60. . . . I don’t want to give the pump back tomorrow.” (adolescent, System B) “For me it was nice to not have those high spikes.” (adult, System B)
Overnight benefit	“It was really nice to see that I was in range every morning when I woke up to go to breakfast and I didn’t have to just eat protein for breakfast.” (adolescent, System B)
	“It can prevent you from waking up dangerously low.” (adolescent, System B)
Mealtime benefit	“I had so many dinners where I started at 130, and 3 hours later, it was 130, which I loved.” (adult, System A) “I mean typically I don’t eat burgers and pizza for dinner . . . but I was like, ‘Nah, why not? Let’s see how the system can handle it,’ and I was pleasantly surprised.” (adult, System B)
Exercise benefit	“I felt freer when I was exercising. I felt like I wasn’t as worried about getting low because I felt like it was going to take care of it for me.” (adolescent, System B) “I did extremely well with the runs and the blood sugar management before, after, and during was really good.” (adult, System B)
Fewer long-term	“That little variability—that is so much healthier for my body.” (adult, System B)
complications	“I think in the long run it’s going to minimize complications for people, because you are so stable and I felt like I had more energy. I don’t know if you guys did too, just because I feel like I get exhausted just from the swing from high low high low. I was so steady I felt more energized.” (adult, System A)
Better quality of life	“Have you ever put 2 diabetic women who are on a high next to each other? That’s me and my mom. It improves relationships, people. Being in range, oh my goodness.” (adolescent, System B) “When you wake up with a better number in the morning psychologically you have a better day.” (adult, System B)
Mental relief	“We are all afraid of having that bad low when we are driving or sleeping or having complications when we are in our 30s or 40s or 50s. Having something where you know your A1C is going to be good, you know your blood sugars are level removes that fear. These four days were the first time I actually started thinking I might not have to always worry about that.” (adult, System B) “I felt again from an emotional standpoint, I felt like diabetes was less of a burden, like I was doing it right or even though it wasn’t me doing anything, I didn’t feel guilty about that.” (adult, System B)
A break from diabetes	“You can put it in this neat little black box and just set it aside and it would be taken care of for a little while. That was so nice.” (adolescent, System B)
	“I just didn’t want to give [the system up after the study]. . . . I don’t think it is a cure for diabetes by any means, but for me, 28 years of never having a second of a break from this disease state. . . . I’d rather spend time thinking about my children and being with my children or planning a date for my husband.” (adult, System B)