Long-Term Glycemic Benefits and User Interaction Insights: Real-World Outcomes of Automated Insulin Delivery Use in a Pediatric Population

Background: Automated insulin delivery (AID) systems improve glycemic outcomes, but the roles of user interaction and insulin pump settings in these findings remain underexplored. Objective: To investigate how AID initiation influenced glycemic outcomes over a year and assess the impact of user behavior and insulin pump settings. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study on real-world data from 156 pediatric individuals initiating AID (Tandem Control-IQ or MiniMed^TM 780G). Data collected at baseline and a year following AID initiation included measures of glycemic outcomes, user interaction (e.g., daily meals, carbohydrates, and user-initiated insulin bolus), and insulin pump settings. Results: Percentage of time in range (TIR: 3.9-10.0 mmol/L) improved after AID initiation and remained stable over the follow-up year (baseline: 61.9% vs. month 12: 69.1%, P < 0.001). The percentage of individuals reaching target (TIR >70%) declined after an initial increase (baseline: 29.5% vs. month 1: 60.0% vs. month 12: 43.7%, P < 0.005). The predefined measures for user interaction also increased over a year, such as user-initiated insulin boluses (baseline: 53.7% of total daily dose [TDD] vs. month 12: 59.9% of TDD, P = 0.034), reduced carbohydrate intakes relative to body weight (baseline: 5.0 g/[kg·d] vs. month 12: 4.6 g/[kg·d], P = 0.004), and longer active continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) wear time (baseline: 87.2% vs. month 12: 94.1%, P = 0.011). A positive association between TIR and daily registered meals (P < 0.001) and daily registered carbohydrates (P = 0.003) was found in the multivariate analysis while adjusting for insulin pump settings and total daily insulin dose. Conclusion: Glycemic outcomes improved 12 months after AID initiation and were positively associated with the number of meal announcements and daily carbohydrates registered in the pump. User-initiated bolus insulin and percentage of active CGM wear time had no impact on AID performance. Our findings emphasize the importance of continuous assessment of diabetes management, even with advanced technology, as user engagement remains crucial.