How to Maximize CGM Data Presented in the Ambulatory Glucose Profile: Thomas Martens, MD, Illustrates

"One of the benefits of CGM [continuous glucose monitoring] data is you can have a pretty quick cycle time...you can be titrating insulin every week, every 2 weeks," Thomas Martens, MD, medical director of the International Diabetes Center, in Minneapolis, said during a recent interview with Patient Care.© The "cycle" Martens refers to is the time between making a change to diabetes therapy and when evidence of the effect is available for evaluation. He contrasted the 1 week or 2 week cycle possible with CGM with the 3 months required to observe a treatment-related change looking at HbA1c.

At the 2025 ACP Internal Medicine meeting in New Orleans, Martens reviewed resources developed at the International Diabetes Center that focus on how to maximize the data collected and aggregated by a patient's CGM. He walked through the Determine Where to Act 3-step approach to using the Ambulatory Glucose Profile (AGP). The AGP is the standardized 1-page graphic summary produced by all CGMs that provides an aggregated visual and statistical summary of glycemic trends and variability that can be used to assess effects of therapy in real time and guide treatment decisions in individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

In the short video above, Martens reviews the 3 steps to follow when reviewing AGP data:
1. DETERMINE if action is needed: Review time in ranges

2. WHERE is action needed: Review the ambulatory glucose profile (AGP) curve

3. ACT on the data: Use shared decision making with the patient to adjust medications and lifestyle