Diabetic? Don't Fret It!

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Diabetes Management Needs More Than Just One Set of Eyes! 

Since before I was born my father has struggled with diabetes. I have seen him try many different insulins and set reminders to give himself insulin shots. Countless times I have seen him prick his finger to take his blood glucose and I always wonder what I could do to help him. Today I might have found a simple suggestion to teach him (and all of you), that may just make his life a little easier. 

Yes, you guessed it! I am talking about diabetic apps to help manage your diabetes at home! Many times people think diabetes is a sole management job, but that is not the case. Having a second pair of eyes, or an app in today's case, can really help a diabetic stay on track and avoid episodes of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. 

What Are These Apps and Where Can I Find Them?

Among the most popular apps, there are "mySugr" and continuous glucose monitoring apps such as "Dexcom", "Freestyle Libre", and "Xdrip+"(Kebede, 2019). The "mySugr" app allows you to log important therapy data such as blood sugar, meals, activity, insulin, and so much more (2022). Apps like "mySugr" keep self-written logs of your day-to-day eating with diabetes. Continuous glucose monitoring apps like "Dexcom" allow you to check your blood glucose right from your phone (Srunyon, 2021)! All of these apps are available on the app store for your respected phone. They are available on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store! These apps can even be added to your Apple and Samsung watches to help give you a more accurate log! 

How Do These Apps Help Me? 

Diabetic apps have been shown to reduce the overall blood glucose levels and improve the self-care of the individual. Being able to self-manage your diabetes is a key determinant of successful and cost-effective diabetes management, this, in turn, reduces the number of visits to the hospital related to diabetes (Kebede, 2019). This is more easily said than done, and if you have diabetes you must know that diabetes self-management is a lifelong, demanding responsibility and requires continuous education about the condition. These apps that I mentioned can help this process become a little easier. "Evidence suggests that diabetes applications support patients in advancing their knowledge of the disease, including awareness of complications and their personal self-management capabilities and previous studies showed improvements in glycemic controls from digital health interventions including the use of diabetes apps" (Kebede, 2019). Through these apps, patients can create a personalized experience and set goals for their glucose levels! 

On the Other Hand...

As we acknowledge the good in the use of diabetic apps, we must acknowledge the bad. As any skeptic would, you may be questioning the previous information with "What's the catch?". That is a valid concern and I am here to tell you! Just like every other piece of technology, we must take technical difficulties into consideration. Technical difficulties "include the maintenance of mobile apps so that they are up to date with the latest technological platforms and operating systems and free of bugs that degrade app performance. App developers need to carefully consider battery usage, input/output ports (e.g., USB port, headphone jack, lightning port), and the impact of inconsistent illumination, mobile device cases, and inconsistent resolution with smartphone cameras. In addition, the speed at which mobile app versions are released or new features are rolled out, as well as the tolerance level of acceptable error within a release, is far greater than those of medical technologies" (Fleming, 2019). A user must consider these technical aspects before investing in the use of diabetic apps and decide if they are willing to commit to the use of the app. 

In conclusion, I hope the education I have provided on diabetic apps has helped you understand their contribution to diabetics, decided whether these apps would work for you, and how they can be life-changing for someone who suffers from diabetes. 

Until next time sugar! 

-Sugar Pill Rx

References

Diabetes app, Blood Sugar and Carbs tracker: Mysugr global. mySugr. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2022, from https://www.mysugr.com/en/diabetes-app

Fleming, G. A., Petrie, J. R., Bergenstal, R. M., Holl, R. W., Peters, A. L., & Heinemann, L. (2019, December 12). Diabetes Digital App Technology: Benefits, challenges, and recommendations. A consensus report by the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) diabetes Technology Working Group. American Diabetes Association. Retrieved March 27, 2022, from https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/43/1/250/35864/Diabetes-Digital-App-Technology-Benefits

Kebede, M. M., & Pischke, C. R. (2019, March 1). Popular diabetes apps and the impact of diabetes app use on self-care behaviour: A survey among the digital community of persons with diabetes on social media. Frontiers in endocrinology. Retrieved March 27, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6407478/

Srunyon. (2021, September 2). Get started with Dexcom CGM. Dexcom. Retrieved March 27, 2022, from https://www.dexcom.com/get-started-cgm/40 utm_source=bing&utm_campaign=SCH_B_US_CGM&sfc=701f30000018vigAAA&&msclkid=637025e36ae91164d5fb47a3f95b4a42&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=dexcomcgm&utm_content=CGM_PH&gclid=637025e36ae91164d5fb47a3f95b4a42&gclsrc=3p.ds&nclid=2b75gKfkSYVC_1Z8Dg3gVGnZtNZL3cOE7JKfnlvH2lR03LQyPypfaO2Mg6mZSHYt


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