Surveillance Accuracy of Smartphone-Dependent Glucose Meters in the Measurement of Plasma Glucose

Digital health and diabetes: experience from India

The digitization of healthcare and its usage in the delivery of healthcare have experienced exponential growth across the world in recent times. India's fast-growing diabetes population has been exerting immense pressure on the country's healthcare infrastructure. Various innovative and evolving technologies are converging to impact the trajectory of digital health in diabetes. The diabetes community has been adopting various technologies such as connected glucose meters, continuous glucose monitoring systems, continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion, closed-loop systems, digitalization of health data, and diabetes-related apps for the prevention and management of the condition. India has provided some excellent examples in exploiting the potential of digital transformation in revamping the diabetes ecosystem. Yet, there are still various hurdles in technology development, healthcare delivery, as well as concerns related to data privacy, digital divide, policies by the government, role of stakeholders, attitude, and absorption by healthcare professionals, and hospitals. This article provides an overview of the digital diabetes technologies currently practiced in India and recommends the need for strong technology adaptation and policy interventions for an ideal roadmap of digitalization of diabetes care in the Indian milieu.

Usefulness of YouTube™ videos in training patients for blood glucose self-monitoring in current coronavirus disease-19 pandemic

Objectives:

During the coronavirus disease-19 pandemic, due to restricted health-care access, patients may not get hands-on training for self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) from physicians. YouTube™ is a popular video-sharing web platform that can be used as a source of information for SMBG. This study aimed to assess the usefulness of YouTube™ videos on SMBG.

Material and Methods:

We searched the keywords “blood glucose self-monitoring,” “home blood glucose monitoring,” “blood glucose test,” and “blood sugar test” on YouTube™. The first 40 videos of each search were listed. After the two-stage screening, 49 videos were included for final data analysis. General characteristics and SMBG-specific characteristics (namely, strip handling, lancing device handling, measurement, and post- measurement action) were observed with pre-defined criteria having “yes” and “no” closed option. Data were tested statistically by the binomial test.

Results:

Average duration of 49 videos was 244.20 ± 72.61 s and those were online since 35.14 ± 20.52 months on YouTube™. Information about strip handling was mostly deficient, major being checking the expiry date (16.33% videos had the information). The handling of the lancing device was correct in the majority of the videos except for the disinfection of the tip of the lancing device (6.12% videos had the information). The measurement procedure was also correct in the majority of the videos except for the instruction to dry the hands (38.78% videos had the information) after washing. The post-measurement logbook entry was found in 48.98% videos.

Conclusion:

YouTube™ videos can be used as a potential source of information for patients’ education for SMBG. However, there are various levels of the incompleteness of the tutorials. Primary care physicians may suggest YouTube™ videos after exploring the videos and selecting the most appropriate one for their patients.