The new trend to wireless blood glucose meters is now in full swing. Earlier, in my “Wireless Monitoring” article here I reported that the second generation of blood glucose meters will automatically or semi-automatically send your blood glucose results to your doctor or nurse or a separate medical facility.
In that article you can read about the GlucoMON device that uses its own wireless network to send and store your results. Another device, the GlucoCom, uses the phone line to send your data to a another secure database. The GlucoTel is a third wireless device, which I wrote about in the October 26 issue of Diabetes Health magazine with a copy online at my website,“Transmitting Tests without Wires”. None of these devices require us to use a computer.
Now another option is coming. Confidant Inc. in Durham, North Carolina, will let people send blood glucose , blood pressure, and weight measurements to their heath care providers using their bluetooth-enabled cell phones.
The Food and Drug Administration granted Section 510(k) premarket approval of the device in October 2006. The FDA’s approval states that the Confidant device “supports six models of off-the-shelf glucose meters, two models of blood pressure cuffs, and two models of weight scales.”
Confidant hasn’t said when it hopes to start selling the device. But an article in the company’s hometown newspaper indicates that, when it does, the service could be expensive. “The company might charge a one-time $65 fee and about $1 per day for a subscription to use the software,” that article says.
The other problem is that the technology is ready before the healthcare profession is. Probably less than one-quarter of all doctors communicate with their patients. However, a recent study that I reported here, “Telemonitoring Proof” shows how systems like these can save your doctor lots of time.
Almost all of us feel pressed for time. But I can’t imagine any other group of people besides doctors with so little time to do what they have to do. In time they will appreciate what wireless telemeters will do for them too.
This article is based on an earlier version of my article published by HealthCentral.
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