Why carry out this study?

To evaluate change in HbA1c over 12 months in people with either type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes on insulin in real-world care in Germany following initiation of the FreeStyle Libre™ flash glucose monitoring system.

To evaluate the correlation between change in HbA1c over 12 months following initiation of the FreeStyle Libre™ system with HbA1c at baseline.

To evaluate the relationship between change in HbA1c with prior metabolic control following initiation of the FreeStyle Libre™ system.

What was learned from the study?

In real-world diabetes care in Germany, HbA1c is significantly reduced in people with T1D (− 0.75%) or T2D (− 0.54%) on insulin after initiation of the FreeStyle Libre™ system (p < 0.001 in both cases).

The reduction in HbA1c is achieved within 3 months of initiation and is sustained over 12 months.

The most significant benefit is seen in patients with poorer metabolic control, with baseline HbA1c levels > 7.5% (58 mmol/mol) prior to initiation of the FreeStyle Libre™ system.

Baseline HbA1c is negatively correlated with subsequent change in HbA1c with the FreeStyle Libre™ system. In T1D mean HbA1c falls by 0.72% for each 1% increase in baseline HbA1c. In T2D on insulin, mean HbA1c falls by 0.71% for each 1% increase in baseline HbA1c.