Improved use of blood glucose data

More than 35 million blood glucose measurements are performed yearly by patients with diabetes, just for Norway. The results of these measurements are only used the moment the patients perform the blood glucose measurements, and there are no mobile systems for easy processing and analysis of historic blood glucose data. Our project team aims to design and promote such a system in this project.

Background

Improved blood glucose levels among people with diabetes are important in reducing long-term diabetes complications (having too high blood glucose values), and also to avoid unpleasant and even dangerous situation of hypoglycaemia (having too low blood glucose values).

Self-management of blood glucose is important and is considered an important and integrated part of the diabetes disease management. The ideal kind of blood glucose sensor will in future be implantable and continuous measuring blood glucose sensors. Developments of such systems have gained momentum in recent years, but are not yet available.

However, some of the current generation of blood glucose monitors offers interfaces for communication of the blood glucose data, something that we have utilized in our research and development projects.

We have previously demonstrated that it is possible to wirelessly and automatically transfer blood glucose data both to support-persons of the patients (typically parents of children with Type 1 diabetes or to the children of elderly patients with Type 2 diabetes), and also directly into their electronic health records.

As mobile phones now are approaching PC functionality, they give us good possibilities to act as patient terminals. Mobile phones are an available and “always” present unit for the users, and are therefore ideal for usability and economic reasons. It also eliminates the need to carry and charge an extra device, and is therefore our patient-terminal choice in this project.

Project description

In this project we build on the previous projects’ results, and suggest a concrete system that may be available for all people with diabetes that need a better overview or analysis of their blood glucose data.

Based on a commercial available blood glucose monitor, a Bluetooth adapter and a mobile phone, we are designing a system which makes it possible for people with diabetes to use their blood glucose readings in a better way than today.

This is done by a system that automatically and wirelessly is sending each blood glucose reading to the users mobile phone, and by software on the phone that process, analyse and presents the data in a optimized way to the patient, and potentially also for the patient’s health supervisors.

Project partners

• The Norwegian Diabetes Association
• The Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine / University Hospital of North Norway

Financing

The project is financed by the Norwegian Foundation for Health and Rehabilitation (Stiftelsen Helse og Rehabilitering), and the Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine.

Project period

January 2007 to December 2009.

Contact person at NST

Geir Østengen, direct telephone +47 957 34 613 and e-mail: geir.ostengen@telemed.no