A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) is a small device people with diabetes can wear to measure their glucose levels every few minutes throughout the day and night. CGMs can be programmed to sound alarms and send alerts if your glucose levels are outside your set target range, eg, if they're getting too high or too low. They can also show trends and patterns in your glucose levels for better diabetes control. Read more about how a CGM works.
What are the benefits of CGMs?
The aim of diabetes management is to keep your glucose levels in a healthy range. To do this well you need to monitor your blood glucose levels regularly. Most people use finger-prick tests with a blood glucose monitor. This gives you a one-off picture which is like looking at 1 photo or reading 1 page of a book. Because CGMs give you a continuous picture of your blood glucose levels at all times, people who use a CGM have better blood glucose control compared to using finger-prick testing alone.
- You can see trends and patterns in your glucose levels for better diabetes control: The information collected from the CGM is usually shown as a graph. This lets you see how much time each day your blood glucose level stays within range, and records times when it goes too high or too low. This shows a full picture of how your blood glucose levels change over time and how what you eat and drink, physical activity, stress, and being sick change your results.
- You can notice and respond to falling glucose levels quickly: Most CGMs can send you or your caregiver an alert when your glucose levels get too high or low. This makes it much easier to act before they become a problem. Remember, if your blood glucose levels go very high or very low, it's important to double-check with a finger prick test before deciding to treat, especially if your symptoms don’t match the CGM readings. See the section below, can I stop doing finger prick checks to monitor my blood glucose if I have a CGM?
From 1 October 2024 Pharmac will be funding some CGMs for people who meet certain criteria
- Find out who can get funded CGMs below.
- CGMs can be used by themselves or with a compatible insulin pump. Read more below about which CGMs are funded in Aotearoa New Zealand.
- CGMs are currently not funded for people with type 2 diabetes. Read more about why type 2 diabetes isn't included(external link).
Note: You don't have to have a CGM. There are no changes to the funding of other blood testing and insulin products. These will continue to be funded.