New Interactive Diabetes Support Tools Manage Mealtime Insulin Dosing

Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a smartphone app to help patients with diabetes manage their mealtime insulin dose adjustments? Fortunately, the Endocrine Society, in collaboration with 6 healthcare organizations, recently unveiled the Accurate Insulin Decisions (AID) program, which is available free online and as iPhone and Android apps.

The tools provide support for patients and physicians with setting realistic blood sugar goals and easily adjusting insulin doses, given that self-management is essential for patients with diabetes.

“Armed with these tools, millions of people who have diabetes will be positioned to play a more active role in managing their care,” said Robert A. Gabbay, MD, PhD, a member of the AID Task Force and Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of the Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard Medical School. “The AID program’s tools empower patients to learn more about effective strategies for managing diabetes and facilitate important treatment discussions between patients and their healthcare providers.”

The AID collects information gathered from patient and physician questionnaires to help both parties select the best mealtime options dependent on their lifestyles, goals, and priorities. After using the apps, patients and providers can discuss individualized treatment and share decision-making.

The AID’s interactive support tools prompt patients to enter the time they take insulin and their blood sugar results. Then, they calculate the appropriate adjustment for the next mealtime insulin dose and offer the results in a table that can be printed and posted in accessible places.

“It can be overwhelming for people with diabetes to calculate insulin doses,” noted AID Task Force Chairwoman and Endocrine Society member Carol Greenlee, MD. “The AID tools simplify the process of determining whether and how much to adjust the dose so patients can maintain safe blood sugar levels.”

In addition to offering the smartphone apps free of charge, the AID program has mailed print copies of the tools to 100,000 primary care physicians throughout the United States.