Page 122 - Glucose Monitoring Devices

System user interface and connectivity 123

hypersensitivity, itching, pain, redness, and burning, were found in less than 55% of
subjects, and the effects were not severe enough to cause wearers to stop using the
sensor [20].

System user interface and connectivity
For a person with diabetes, a continuous glucose monitoring system provides
numerous advantages by making important information available both in real time
and for historical review. This allows the user to both react to changes in blood
glucose levels based on alerts from the system, and to identify trends and patterns
over time that will help their diabetes healthcare team make adjustments to their
treatment plan to aid in adjusting therapy to optimize diabetes management.
In a review of CGM systems, Rodbard noted that usability and system interface
play a critical role in the adoption and success of any medical device. He suggested
that usability issues to consider for CGM systems include the amount of time and
training required for both clinicians and patients to learn the system and be able
to interpret the data, reliability of results and ability to apply the information, and
usefulness of the information to improve glycemic control and overall quality of
life [33].
The latest generation of CGM systems has made great strides in developing user
interfaces that provide information in a user-friendly way. The interface can be a
stand-alone device provided by the manufacturer, such as the Freestyle Libre
Reader, or an app that the user can download to a mobile device, such as the Guard-
ian Connect.
All CGM systems provide users the ability to share information with a clinician
by uploading it to cloud-based storage or having the information downloaded
directly during an office visit to a data management application. These data manage-
ment applications provide various graphical representations of historical data to help
identify trends and patterns that can guide decisions about therapy adjustments.
One of the most beneficial features of most CGM systems is the ability to present
real time and predictive alerts to notify the user of a hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic
event when the measured glucose level reaches a predefined value. Alerts can be an
audible sound or physical alert such as a vibration from the transmitter the user is
wearing or a notification from the app on the user’s phone. Alerts can be triggered
when glucose values are either above or below the limits set by the user, are rising or
falling above a defined rate, or are predicted to go above or below a defined limit.
System-related alerts will also be presented, for example, to let the user know
when to calibrate the device or that a system error has occurred. A user who has
received an alert can then check the app to find out more and decide whether any
action is required. Some products also provide the ability to share data to a remote
monitoring app used by caregivers, such as family and friends. This means, for
example, that a parent can receive an alert when their child’s glucose is high or low.