A US study examining the use by older adults of continuous glucose monitors and other wearable devices found issues with wearability and use.
In an initial trial of continuous glucometer use, faulty device adhesive and patient difficulty in interpreting graphs produced by the device, were noted.
In a subsequent trial, 70 older adults with diabetes wore glucometers and activity monitors, and used smartphones and electronic medication bottles to track and manage blood sugar over two weeks.
Nearly three-quarters of the study participants experienced low blood sugar levels, often serious in magnitude.
Study lead Michael Weiner said: “Although a smartphone is very commonly used with continuous glucometers, we found that when we issued smartphones to study participants, they often didn’t carry the phones with them, contributing to the fact that, during the study, one-third of daytime phone prompts about medications, behaviours, and symptoms were ignored.”
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