Parents’ Experiences of Using a Hybrid Closed-Loop System to Care for a Very Young Child With Type 1 Diabetes: Qualitative Study

Background: We explored parents’ experiences of using a hybrid closed-loop system when caring for a very young child with type 1 diabetes. Our objectives were to understand the impact of using this technology on users’ quality of life and inform its use in routine clinical care. Methods: Interviews were conducted with parents of 30 children (aged 1-7 years) who participated in a randomised controlled trial comparing closed-loop insulin delivery with sensor-augmented pump therapy. Findings: Parents reported major clinical benefits to using the closed-loop system, including more time being spent in range. Parents welcomed opportunities to collaborate with the system (using Ease-off and Boost functions) when their own knowledge could enhance its efficacy. Parents also reported a lessened need for health professional input after the initial transition onto the system had been made. Parents described wide-ranging quality-of-life benefits to using a system that automatically regulated blood glucose. Parents reported sleeping better, worrying less about their child and feeling more confident entrusting their child’s care to others, and how these individuals were more willing to assume caregiving responsibilities. Parents also described how their child felt more normal and experienced better sleep, mood and concentration, and lessened distress. Siblings also benefitted from parents’ time and attention being less focused on diabetes management. While parents highlighted multiple benefits to being able to administer insulin using a smartphone, difficulties were experienced stowing this device on the child’s body. Interpretation: Using a hybrid closed-loop system in very young children can have potentially life-changing consequences and may result in a lessened demand for health professionals’ input. Systems may need to be customised for use in very young children. Funding Information: The European Commission within the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme under the grant agreement number 731560 funded this work. Declaration of Interests: RH reports having received speaker honoraria from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, serving on advisory panels for Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, receiving licence fees from BBraun and Medtronic. RH reports patent patents, patent applications, shareholding and directorship at CamDiab. FC has attended Advisory Boards and obtained speaking fees for Abbott, Medtronic, Lilly, and NovoNordisk. EFR reports having received speaker honoraria from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, and serving on advisory boards for Eli Lilly and Sanofi. SH declares having received speakers honoraria from Eli Lilly, Sanofi and Pfizer. TMK has received speaking honoraria from Eli Lilly and MerckSerono, and consulted Sanofi for a transition brochure. BRM has received speaker honoraria from Abbott Diabetes Care, Eli Lilly, Medtronic, Novo Nordisk, Roche Diabetes Care, Sanofi and Menarini, and has been on the advisory boards of Roche Diabetes Care and Abbott Diabetes Care. The Authors JL, DR, RIH, CKB, JF, JMA, AT, US and BK declare that there is no conflict of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: Participants were consented into the interview study when they were consented into the trial. Approval was received from relevant Ethics Committees in participating sites/countries and relevant national regulatory authorities.