I recently posted about Health informatics and the problem with data. In that post, I detailed the problem of getting the patient to actually enter data into mobile apps so it can be analyzed. In the past few months, I have come across a number of apps that are making it easier to get data into your mobile devices and computers/software programs.
One of these apps is revolutionary in enabling you to monitor your blood glucose. It appears as if the FDA has just cleared an app that allows a user to measure their blood glucose levels and automatically upload them to an iOS device via an app.
Johnson & Johnson company LifeScan has announced the launch of a Bluetooth-enabled glucose meter and companion iPhone app
This is wonderful news and may be the beginning of a new era in medical monitoring. It certainly sheds new light on a field we have referred to as telemedicine in the past and may completely revolutionize the way we monitor patients as well as how accurate diagnosis will become.
The new LifeScan app works with the OneTouch Verio Sync Meter and similar software is embedded in the OneTouch Verio IQ meter, according to the 510(k) summary document. The Verio Sync meter sends blood sugar test results directly to the app, which works with and Apple mobile devices running iOS 4+ operating systems, including iPhones, iPod touch devices, and iPads.
The app can store up to 2,500 blood glucose results and events and up to one year of results and events. The app synchronizes its time with the meter; makes it easy to tag meals and add notes; alerts the user of one or more patterns found in results once downloaded; enables user to manually enter data like results, carbs, activity, or medication; and allows user to share blood glucose results via text message or email.
The article can be located here:
FDA clears LifeScan’s long-awaited iPhone diabetes app
Another interesting find: A wireless device that fits under your skin and send information to a mobile device:
this half-inch prototype can instantly beam several health metrics to smart devices over Bluetooth, monitoring cholesterol, blood sugar levels as well as the impact of medical treatments like chemotherapy using five built-in sensors.
The link to this article can be found here:
Wireless ‘under the skin’ prototype implant beams instant blood test read-outs to your smartphone
And as if that weren’t enough Star Trek technology for you, there are now electronic tattoos that can record biometrics. This device is:
a tattoo-like electronic mesh that attaches to skin, and can measure vital statistics and report it wirelessly to a computer. The thin device includes electrodes, sensors, power, and a wireless communications system, in what looks like no more than a bandage…the sensors can measure the hydration and temperature of the skin beneath it, as well as any strain being applied to the area. The mesh is applied by a rubber stamp, and it could be used to discreetly monitor a patient’s recovery sites after surgery.
The hope is that 18 months from now, this device will be available on the market. You can read the original article here:
Electronic tattoo filled with sensors reads your vitals, reports them wirelessly
As I noted in my previous article, the problem has always been getting the data into a computer or software platform. It seems as though we are closer to a solution than ever and we may soon find ourselves with the problem of sorting through all of the data we can access and port to our mobile devices and computers. But, that is a different problem…and a different article.