Evaluating the accuracy of continuous glucose-monitoring sensors: continuous glucose-error grid analysis illustrated by TheraSense Freestyle Navigator data.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to introduce continuous glucose-error grid analysis (CG-EGA) as a method of evaluating the accuracy of continuous glucose-monitoring sensors in terms of both accurate blood glucose (BG) values and accurate direction and rate of BG fluctuations and to illustrate the application of CG-EGA with data from the TheraSense Freestyle Navigator.


METHODS
We approach the design of CG-EGA from the understanding that continuous glucose sensors (CGSs) allow the observation of BG fluctuations as a process in time. We account for specifics of process characterization (location, speed, and direction) and for biological limitations of the observed processes (time lags associated with interstitial sensors). CG-EGA includes two interacting components: 1) point-error grid analysis (P-EGA) evaluates the sensor's accuracy in terms of correct presentation of BG values and 2) rate-error grid analysis (R-EGA) assesses the sensor's ability to capture the direction and rate of BG fluctuations.


RESULTS
CG-EGA revealed that the accuracy of the Navigator, measured as a percentage of accurate readings plus benign errors, was significantly different at hypoglycemia (73.5%), euglycemia (99%), and hyperglycemia (95.4%). Failure to detect hypoglycemia was the most common error. The point accuracy of the Navigator was relatively stable over a wide range of BG rates of change, and its rate accuracy decreased significantly at high BG levels.


CONCLUSIONS
Traditional self-monitoring of BG device evaluation methods fail to capture the important temporal characteristics of the continuous glucose-monitoring process. CG-EGA addresses this problem, thus providing a comprehensive assessment of sensor accuracy that appears to be a useful adjunct to other CGS performance measures.
Department of Psychiatric Medicine, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA. boris@virginia.edu
Boris P
BP
Kovatchev
Linda A
LA
Gonder-Frederick
Daniel J
DJ
Cox
William L
WL
Clarke
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
D001786:Blood Glucose