Keeping Diabetes In Check

New tech developments make life easier for diabetics

From the LifeMinute Team

February 27, 2015

For those living with diabetes, checking blood sugar levels just comes with the territory. But a new study of 800 folks with diabetes shows that most aren't monitoring their blood glucose levels as often as they need to, and those who are doing regular checks don't really know what to do with the info once they have it. So why is this happening?

Dr. Bill Polonsky, a clinical psychologist and certified diabetes educator, says the study revealed three major reasons behind why some diabetics are slacking off when it comes to checking their blood sugars. "Many of these patients saw blood glucose monitoring as just a drag. It was burdensome," explains Dr. Polonsky, "For many folks, another important reason is they saw the numbers on their meters as just, well, pointless. They didn't understand what these numbers meant; they didn't really know what to do with this information; no one else seemed to be looking at this information with them, so why bother? And the third factor we saw is that for many folks, the numbers were discouraging; they were demotivating. They felt like there was nothing that they could do with these numbers anyway, and when they had tried, it didn't really work. And so it was understandable, when you put all of this together, so many people felt like, well, why should they bother, and weren't checking very much or actually checking blood sugars at all."

So, how to turn things around? Dr. Polonsky says when it comes to diabetes management, you just can't wing it. "If you want to get on track and stay on track with your diabetes, make sure with your physician [that] you have a clear plan for how to be tracking blood sugars, how often to check and what to do with that information." And after your doc signs off and it's time to put that plan into action... "There's new technology and new tools that could help make this easier and more productive for folks and can address some of these important emotional issues that we found in our studies," says Dr. Polonsky. One of the new tools is the OneTouch Verio Blood Glucose Monitoring System, which has some cool features to encourage diabetics to make checking blood sugars a habit. Dr. Polonsky explains, "One of the things, it has this color coded range indicator, so when you check your blood sugar, rather than just seeing a number, it has a special color attached to it, so it helps people to know whether their numbers are actually in range or a little low or a little high. And that's really helpful, especially for the more than one third of folks with diabetes who tell us that they're really confused about their numbers and not sure what they mean."

And the new meter goes the extra mile when it comes to addressing the emotional side of diabetes management by giving you a pat on the back for a job well done. How? Dr. Polonsky says, "It brings all the blood glucose numbers, the data, together over time, automatically without any extra work on the part of the patient, and provides positive feedback to let you know that hey, you know, your numbers have been in range over the past couple of days. Or, well, maybe they were out of range, but now they're moving into range. And if there's one thing we know that our patients need and that we need, especially when you're dealing with tough behaviors like, well, checking blood sugars over time, it's congratulations, it's positive feedback."

The result is patients who feel more engaged and motivated when it comes to keeping tabs on their sugar and improving their health. "It just makes it easier for folks," says Dr. Polonsky, "In fact, one of the things we spend a lot of time on is trying to encourage healthcare professionals to remember to provide positive feedback to their patients, to be congratulating their patients for bothering to check their blood sugars and to helping move their numbers more into a healthy range."

Other tips from the doctor? Number one: Stay educated and up-to-date about what diabetes is and the little things you can do to make a big difference in helping yourself to stay healthy as a diabetic. And number two: Don't go it alone. "You know, when you have people in your life who are rooting for you and care about you and understand, it's just a lot easier to keep things going," says Dr. Polonsky. "So that means having a healthcare professional who you feel you can trust, whom you feel is on your side. And it means turning to family, friends, maybe an online community or support group, people you can talk to when you start losing your 'oomph' throughout managing diabetes."

To get more information about the OneTouch Verio Meter, or about diabetes in general, Dr. Polonsky suggests visiting OneTouch.com. He adds, "And if you're especially interested in the emotional side of diabetes, which really doesn't get talked about too much, I encourage you to visit our website, The Behavioral Diabetes Institute." Find it at BehavioralDiabetes.org.

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