Exploring the educational value of a continuous glucose monitoring wear experience in pharmacy students: A qualitative study

Background: Despite continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) being the standard of treatment for type 1 and type 2 diabetes, patient uptake has been reported to under 50%. Clinician awareness and identification of barriers can help reduce diabetes-related complications; however, less than half of pharmacy schools provide CGM education. The objective is to explore pharmacy students’ perceptions of a CGM wear experience and their self-reported awareness of patient challenges, device usability, and empathy-related considerations. Methods: A CGM student-wear experience was incorporated into two sessions of an elective advanced pharmacotherapy course for third-year pharmacy students. The experience was divided into three parts over two class sessions, including a one-week CGM student-wear experience. Reflections were collected through an anonymous questionnaire and a recorded focus group. A thematic approach guided analysis, and reviewers reached consensus on themes. Results: Seventeen students participated; 70.6% had prior experience with traditional finger-stick blood glucose monitoring, while only one had CGM experience. Students described four areas of awareness: empathy for patient experiences, recognition of CGM as a self-management tool, perceived value of hands-on learning, and anticipated barriers. Conclusion: Students perceived greater awareness of CGM-related challenges and patient experiences, suggesting that application-based activities can support patient-centred learning in pharmacy curricula.