The Impact of an Experience-Based Versus Traditional Continuous Glucose Monitoring Curriculum on Internal Medicine Resident Confidence and Knowledge.

Authors

Eric B Ohlendorf, Kenneth M Fifer, Emily J Gallagher, Cary J Blum

Published in

Journal of general internal medicine. Aug 14, 2026. Epub Aug 14, 2026.

Abstract

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is an important tool in diabetes care, yet providers often have limited familiarity with its use. Personal CGM use may enhance provider knowledge and confidence.
We evaluated whether an experience-based CGM curriculum (EC) improves confidence and knowledge among internal medicine (IM) residents compared with a traditional curriculum (TC).
IRB-exempt, prospective, randomized educational intervention.
Thirty-six IM residents.
Residents were assigned to either EC (didactic, clinic, 10 days of personal CGM wear) or TC (didactic and clinic only).
Primary outcome: change in CGM confidence scores as measured by pre- and post-curriculum surveys.
percentage of post-curriculum knowledge questions answered correctly on the knowledge assessment. Paired pre- vs post-survey responses were compared using McNemar testing; EC vs TC were compared using Fisher's exact test. A qualitative outcome analyzed free-text responses regarding participant experience using CGM.
Thirty-six residents completed the pre-curriculum survey and 27 the post-curriculum survey (n = 13 EC, n = 14 TC), with 23 paired responses. Overall confidence improved across multiple CGM domains. Confidence in helping a patient apply a CGM sensor increased significantly overall (p = 0.0001), with greater improvement in EC (p = 0.0003). Smartphone integration showed a similar pattern (EC vs TC p = 0.012) as did confidence addressing patient questions (EC vs TC p = 0.012). Confidence explaining CGM function (p = 0.004) and interpreting reports (p = 0.004) increased overall but without between-group differences. Knowledge scores were similar (EC 67 ± 12% vs TC 62 ± 16%). Qualitative themes included insight into the patient experience, improved procedural confidence, greater lifestyle counseling ability, and endorsement of experiential learning.
Providing an opportunity to personally use CGMs among IM residents produced greater gains in applied and patient-facing skills than a traditional curriculum. These findings support incorporating hands-on CGM experience into residency training to better prepare trainees for modern diabetes care.

PMID:
42601539
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 15 Aug 2026.

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