Current Diabetes-Monitoring
Systems
Mara Hemminger
University of Maryland
Department of Information Studies
HCIL Conference, 2004
Overview
• What is diabetes?
• What meters are currently available?
• What record-keeping systems are currently
available?
• What research initiatives exist?
• What are some user-interface issues?
What Is Diabetes?
• Body cannot process sugar properly.
– Insulin controls the amount of sugar in blood.
– Diabetics’ pancreas cannot produce / properly process
insulin.
• Types
– Type 1
• Body produces little/no insulin (insulin injections needed)
• Typically hits people under age of 30
– Type 2
• Body produces insufficient amounts of / improperly processes
insulin (no insulin injections needed)
• Typically hits adults over age of 40
– Gestational (during pregnancy)
What Is Diabetes?
• Can cause:
– Blindness
– Heart attack
– Poor circulation
– Gangrene
– Kidney disfunction
– Death.
• No cure, but monitoring can prevent long-term
problems
What Meters Are Currently Available?
• Types:
– Blood glucose
monitors *
• Blood-pricking
• Minimally-invasive
• Non-invasive
– Urine glucose monitors
– A1c monitors
• Features:
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–
–
–
–
–
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Testing location
Testing speed
Blood amount required
Storage of readings
High/low values
Size
Cost of meter
Cost of strips
Blood-Prick Meters: Hand Logs
(Accutech)
• Drop blood onto meter
• Wait 2 minutes
• Read results on
thermometer-like display
• Compare reading with
chart of average readings
Blood-Prick Meters: PC-Based
(LifeScan)
• Meter
• Arm or finger prick
• Digital display of reading
• Record-keeping system
• Glucose
• Measurements before
and after meals
• Colors indicate levels
above/below target
• Medications
• Meals (carbohydrates)
• Bar/pie charts, graphs
• By date
• By time-of-day
• By target levels
Blood-Prick Meters: PDA-Based
(Therasense FreeStyle)
• Meter
– Multiple testing sites
– Digital display of
reading
• Recording-keeping
system
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Glucose levels
Medications
Meals
Exercise
Minimally Invasive Meters
(MiniMed CGMS)
• Insert sensor under
abdominal skin for 72
hours
• Sensor reads interstitial
fluid glucose level
• Patient can enter meals,
exercise, meds in monitor
• Physician reads sensor
results
• User must calibrate sensor
via a finger prick 4x/day
Non-Invasive Meters
(Cygnus GlucoWatch)
• Auto-Sensor fits on back
of watch
• Monitors glucose (u/i
method); no blood-pricks
• User can enter meals,
exercise info
• User can set high/low alert
• Biographer stores 8,500
readings
• Data can be downloaded
to PC as graphs, charts,
stats
What Record-Keeping Systems Are
Currently Available?
• Types
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–
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Hand logs
Spreadsheets
Internet logs (hand)
PC-based (here) *
PDA-based
• Here:
(WinGlucoFacts)
– Daily/weekly/mo stats
– Bar chart, dot graphs
What Research Initiatives Exist?
(MIT/Frost & Smith)
• Web-based tool
• Patients photograph
daily habits
• Glucose readings
stored and color-coded
(red=high, blue=low)
• Glucose readings
mapped to photos
• Goal: highlight bad
habits
What Research Initiatives Exist?
(University of Pittsburgh/Schultz & Ballerstadt)
• Sensor implanted below
skin
• Sensor fluorescence
reflects blood sugar level
• Photometer sits atop skin
• Photometer measures
intensity of fluorescence
• Reminiscent of CGMS,
but measurement method
is known here
What Are Some User-Interface Issues?
• Meters
– Eliminate blood-prick strips
– Show test countdown
– Show more than one reading at a time
• Record-Keeping Systems
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Show personal high, low and average
Track several factors (glucose, ketones, A1c, insulin)
Provide analysis (only a few do)
Multi-task: Measure, log, analyze, and inject insulin -all in one fell swoop!