Use of Retrospective Continuous Glucose Monitoring Data Is Underrated and Underused

Access to real-time glucose data in real time allows users to make informed decisions about their insulin dosages, appropriate carbohydrate intake, exercise, and other health behaviors. Programmable alarms and alerts warn users about current and/or impending acute glycemic events. However, the value and utility of retrospective data analysis for clinical decision-making have gone mostly unrecognized. This article presents a series of patient case examples that illustrate how our use of retrospective data enables us to identify and effectively address patterns of problematic glycemia.