Wearable Technology: Next Big Thing For Diabetes Management?

* FreeStyle Libre 14-Day System Reader - Lincoln Health Supply

The pandemic has brought forth many disruptions. In just a few months’ time, it has heightened the adoption of digital technology - wherein many are here for the long haul! With the world adopting to technological advancements in everyday care, one such area where technology has seen a huge disruption, is monitoring lifestyle diseases.

In India, an alarming number of 77 million adults currently have diabetes, clearly highlighting the need for close monitoring of the lifestyle disease1. With the onset of the pandemic, there is an increased awareness around one’s health, with a sharp focus on diabetes management. While patients become more aware and informed about living smartly with diabetes, there are breakthrough technologies that are currently being harnessed to improve the quality of life of people with diabetes. 

What one needs to know about smart diabetes management wearables:

Availability of affordable, easy-to-use wearables devices for diabetics with clinically proven benefits

Deployment of cutting-edge technology for continuous glucose monitoring that can identify weekly, daily or even hourly glucose patterns. 

Devices that help with continuous glucose monitoring presenting real-time information about glucose level trends that helps users respond immediately to hyperglycemia (high glucose levels) or hypoglycemia (low glucose levels). 

Does not sleep when you sleep; the device alarms for high and low glucose levels even whilst sleeping

Dr. Jothydev Kesavadev, Diabetologist and MD of Jothydev’s Diabetes Research Centres said, “Point-of-care or wearable monitoring solutions go well beyond convenience as they enable both the doctor and patient to link undesirable highs and lows to specific actions and habits. With the current pandemic, the use of modern technology to continuously monitor glucose has proven to be very useful. With wearable devices slowly enabling for precision medicine and remote monitoring, they will cut through the prevailing challenges and will continue to benefit numerous groups of people as we look at the next 10+ years and beyond.”

Benefits of using these devices

Sensor-based tracking - Glucose levels can be measured every minute in interstitial fluid through a small (5.5mm long) filament that is inserted just under the skin and held in place with a small adhesive pad. One such device is the FreeStyle Libre that shows the current and forecasted glucose levels along with 8 hours of history, so one can make more informed health decisions. A quick scan of the sensor with a reader provides a real-time glucose reading and a detailed picture of a person's glucose levels.

No finger-pricks required – The devices are designed to free people from the pain and hassles of finger sticks.

A future-ready model of care - Wearable devices can unlock insights and allow patients and doctors to course correct and achieve holistic diabetes management goals.

In the dynamic and rapidly changing environments we live in, technology in the form of monitoring devices, and virtual consultations will lead the way in helping people manage their diabetes and mitigate other risks.