Intermittent and Continuous Glucose Monitoring: Thomas Martens, MD, Details the Differences

Data flows from the wearable sensor of a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) system to a smartphone every 1 or every 5 minutes, providing access to real-time data, 24/7, on glycemic levels in the blood, Thomas Martens, MD, reminded a large audience of internists at the 2025 ACP Internal Medicine meeting. The intermittent CGM records glucose data with the same frequency but only transmits it when the user swipes the smartphone or other reader, over the sensor. Martens and colleague Gregg Simonson, PhD, both from the International Diabetes Center in Minneapolis, MN, led a hands-on demonstration of the work flow to set up and use 2 different CGMs during their shared session, Beyond A1c: Using Continuous Glucose Monitoring to Improve Type 2 Diabetes Management in Primary Care.

Is one option "better" than the other? Is one more appropriate for one type of patient vs another? Patient Care© asked Martens those questions and others during a conversation after his presentation. In the short video above, he discusses the differences and the nuanced findings from research on the shared and divergent benefits of each.