• image.alt
  • With Mayo Clinic diabetes educators

    Nancy Klobassa Davidson, R.N., and Peggy Moreland, R.N.

    read biography
The Mayo Clinic Diet Book, learn more

Free

E-newsletter

Subscribe to Housecall

Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.

Sign up now

  • Living with diabetes blog

  • Sept. 1, 2011

    Managing diabetes with diabetes apps

    By Nancy Klobassa Davidson, R.N., and Peggy Moreland, R.N.

22 comments posted

Controlling Your Diabetes

Subscribe to our Controlling Your Diabetes e-newsletter to stay up to date on diabetes topics.

Sign up now

I love technology and all the gadgets that go along with it, including diabetes apps (applications) that help with managing diabetes. I recently read in Health Data Management news that the use of mobile and internet tools helped a group of people with diabetes lower their blood glucose levels. The group that used these tools saw an average A1C level decrease of almost 2 percent, which was more than twice the decrease seen in the control group. Other research has shown that even a 1 percent decrease in A1C helps to prevent complications of diabetes.

I typed in "diabetes" on my mobile device and downloaded several different diabetes apps that aim to help with managing diabetes. Costs varied from free to around $12. You have many diabetes apps to choose from to quickly record your blood sugar, blood pressure, pulse, weight, medications, food (usually carbohydrates) and exercise. You even have the ability to print or email your blood glucose record to your health care provider.

In our practice, I find that most people don't mind testing their blood sugar, but they don't care for writing down their readings. We understand busy schedules and know that it can be difficult to find the time to test your blood sugar, let alone write it down. However, keeping a record of your blood sugar levels can help you identify patterns of blood sugar levels that are too high or too low. A blood sugar record also helps your health care team evaluate the effectiveness of your diabetes medications, including insulin.

If you're comfortable with the technology, consider a mobile diabetes app to help you record your blood sugar levels. Mobile technology isn't for everyone, and that's all right! But it can be a good option for many.

We'd love to hear your experiences with mobile technology and diabetes management.

Peggy

22 comments posted

blog index

  • September 29, 2012 10:28 a.m.

    I downloaded Glucose Buddy to my phone and record my readings everyday and all day. It is an excellent tool and lets me see how I am managing my diabetes. It tracks my weight , BG levels, foods, medications, BP and shows me on Graphs how I am doing. It also allows me to send that information directly to my healthcare provider and shows that information in an excel spreadsheet. Since I always have my phone handy I don't have to carry a logbook and a pen or pencil around with me. I also find that it motivates me to control my BG better because I can see visually how I am doing on a day to day basis. The app also gives me an average BG reading which I can compare to my A1c levels which I also find useful even if it isn't 100% accurate it lets me see how I am managing my control.

    - Terence

  • September 28, 2012 5:41 p.m.

    You can try "Diabetes Hypoglycemia" available on App Store (http://itunes.apple.com/pt/app/diabetes-hypoglycemia/id477244157?mt=8). It's a very useful tool in case of hypoglycemia. I tried it and i'm very satisfied!

    - Marisa

  • August 19, 2012 10:17 a.m.

    To make sure I make all the right moves oand use the following free Android apps: Calorie Counter which ties in to Fatsecret.com. I record everything I eat. It computes carbs, calories, fat, protein, and also logs my weight. The data is easily input on my smartphone. To record my exercise time, miles walked, calories burned etc, i use ExerciseTracker. And to record my medication, testing, BP, and carbs intake, I use OnTrack, on called OnTrack Diabetes.

    - Dutch

  • July 18, 2012 4:15 p.m.

    I just had a patient show me the app "Myfitnesspal" cool. I like the bar code for the nutrition label.

    - Nancy and Peggy

  • July 14, 2012 7:01 a.m.

    I use my fitness pal to document a food exercise diary and easy diabetes to chart blood levels these are on iPhone.

    - Tracey

  • June 19, 2012 4:39 p.m.

    CHECK OUT THE PHONE APP GLUCOSE BUDDY, ITS AWESOME.

    - DIABETIC : (

  • June 2, 2012 12:36 p.m.

    Abbot who make "Freestyle" monitor (Realy small lancet)give away a free software package with their free monitor.(windows only :-( )

    - David

  • March 11, 2012 5:49 p.m.

    Dear RNs I have an Iphone, etc., but I found that for a reasonble price, the software for the Accu-Chek Compact Plus is great to watch one's sugar daily, and be able to share the data with one's doctor.

    - Alexis

  • March 1, 2012 11:53 a.m.

    I would like to see an app created that would correspond with the mayo clinic diabetes diet journal.. I like the premise of the food pyramid points and rating yourself on the 15 habits more than calorie counting...

    - bridgett

  • February 17, 2012 9:53 a.m.

    I have started using the app Glucuse Buddy on my IPad. I am on weight watchers and was already used to logging my eating habits into my iPad so it was an easy addition to my routine. I have found that it is causing me to take my bg levels more seriously, enabling me to see treads, and the cause and effect of what I eat and how much I exercise. I found tracking work for me plus my doctor it going to love all the data.

    - Mark

  • January 29, 2012 8:25 a.m.

    My last A1C was in early December and it was 9.6. I started tracking my food and glucose levels with several apps on my phone and iPad. One gives an average reading for 3 months and as of today the reading shows an equilivant A1c of 5.8. My meter shows the same for the past 30 days with 218 readings. Those apps are a lifesaver.

    - Tom

  • January 11, 2012 11:05 a.m.

    Michelle: The article that Health Data Manaement new is referring tothe "Cluster-Randomized Trial of a Mobile Phone Personalized Behavioral Intervention for Blood Glucose Control" study. You can find the article in Diabetes Care: http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/34/9/1934.full

    - Peggy

  • January 10, 2012 4:08 p.m.

    Could someone help me find the citation for the article mentioned in Health Data Management news? Thanks!

    - Michelle Lamb

  • November 10, 2011 2:35 p.m.

    I'll second the use of "OnTrack", which I use on my Android phone. It's free, and will store averages of all your readings, including meds, and if you're tech savvy you can print out a variety of results for you doctor. For day-to-day use, it's fast & easy.

    - Jeff

  • November 1, 2011 7:08 p.m.

    96fTD7 I have used several personal assistant (PDAm PC and iPad programs)and believe me, there is one that is really useful called Logbook DM by Ryan Bruner. It doesn't cost an arm and a leg and will easiy give you lots of great information to help you control your blood sugar. It will work on several PDAs, and best of all will run beautifully on the inexpensive Zire by Palm. You can get a used Zire on eBay for well under $50 and Mr. Bruner charges only $12 to download his program. Get information on both by Googleing Logbook DM. For me the best part is the ability to track insulin on board (something you can usually get only with an insulin pump). With this information you can avoid stacking if you are injecting. The program will also give you lots of other information and you won't have to take a mortgage out on your house to afford it. Hope this helps a few of you out there looking for something like this.

    - Mel

  • October 6, 2011 8:54 a.m.

    Donna: I did an online search for web based glucose logs and here are a few links that might help you: Lantus insulin website allows you to download the blood glucose record to record your blood glucose readings - http://www.lantus.com/docs/consumer/pdf/BloodSugarLog.pdf Sugar Stats: Looks interesting. There are two plans to choose: the free version or the premium version where you pay a monthly fee that also allows you to record food/exercise and is add free - http://www.sugarstats.com/ This website lists many other sites to choose from where you can record your blood glucose readings online as well as sites where you can download blood glucose logs to print and record your blood glucose readings - http://www.mendosa.com/software.htm Pick and choose the site that works best for you. Hope this helps!

    - Nancy and Peggy

  • September 14, 2011 9:31 p.m.

    I was dx in late April 2011. I use the Bayer Contour USB meter which allows me to print out trend reports (or daily ones) for my doctor. He is impressed.

    - Ellen

  • September 14, 2011 2:57 p.m.

    I use OnTrack for my Samsung Galaxy S / Android. OnTrack is easy to use and via Edit tab you see all your latest values at first glance. the opening screen displays latest values for Today/Week/Month.

    - Tom

  • September 12, 2011 8:23 a.m.

    I would like to find websites with good diaries and logs for recording my daily readings. Are there any you recommend?

    - Donna

  • September 9, 2011 10:29 p.m.

    First, let me start by saying, "Thank you" from one professional to another. Your blogs are so informative! I am a critical care transport nurse who has recently been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and have been struggling to find exchange lists to get my diet on track. Apparently, the physicians in my area think that we are experts in diabetes just because we have medical training! The problem is that I know too much and not enough at the same time! As both patient and care provider, I find it refreshing that this technology exists and had no knowledge that it was out there! I do a great deal of education with the patients while transporting and am stunned at the sometimes obscure education these folks receive. I have not been referred to a dietician, but am faced with a deadline for management of my sugars before I am facing meds. By the way, A1C of 7.1 and sugars in the 120's. After reading some of your blogs, I am blessed that I may be able to stave this off for a while, however, I know the inevitability of this for me- blame my mother- genetics! I will definitely cite the Mayo clinic as an excellent source of info for my patients! Thanks again!

    - Caren

  • September 8, 2011 4:35 a.m.

    My BGL meter and BP meter have memories which I download each week and store on my PC. The day before I visit my doctor I print out the data in table and graph format to take with me. Having equipment with memory does away with the need to manually record all this data. Having equipment which have a memory should be mandatory in the treatment of Diabetes. Its a great tool.

    - Vernon

  • September 7, 2011 2:12 p.m.

    After waking up and taking my shower, I sit at my computer and meditate for 15 minutes, then I take my vitals, after taken I typed them into excel. I have in columns, DATE- B/P PULSE,- B/S AND WEIGHT ONCE A WEEK, it's all there & ready to print when I go to the Dr. I've been doing this for 10 years now. I've had diabetes since the age of 42 and am now 76. Doing it this way has helped me to maintain a steady rate on both B/P and B/S. With humble prayers, Pauline

    - Pauline

Post a comment
  • Print

  • Share on:

  • Email

Advertisement


Text Size: smaller largerlarger