Interpretation of the ambulatory glucose profile in diabetes: practical application in community pharmacy.

INTRODUCTION

The ambulatory glucose profile summarizes continuous glucose monitoring data and complements glycated hemoglobin by providing metrics of exposure, variability, and time spent in different glucose ranges.

OBJECTIVE

To review the key elements of the ambulatory glucose profile and propose a practical interpretation sequence applicable to community pharmacy.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

A targeted narrative review of PubMed/MEDLINE-indexed literature and scientific society recommendations was performed and complemented with official Spanish guidance, with the search updated through August 2026. Priority was given to consensus statements, clinical guidelines, validation studies of glucose metrics, and literature on pharmacist-led continuous glucose monitoring services.

RESULTS

Interpretation should begin by assessing data sufficiency, then prioritize time below range, evaluate time in range and time above range, review the glucose management indicator and coefficient of variation, and identify reproducible time-of-day patterns. Four anonymized real-world clinical profiles are presented for educational purposes together with a proposed community-pharmacy workflow.

CONCLUSIONS

A structured review of the ambulatory glucose profile may support patient education, detection of glycemic-control problems, and interprofessional coordination without replacing clinical assessment or medication changes by the appropriate prescriber.