ShugaTrak App Helps Parents Monitor Their Child’s Diabetes

Twitter Summary: The ShugaTrak app sends updates on child’s BGM to parents in real time – currently available for Android phones

At this year’s Friends for Life Conference, we had the opportunity to use the ShugaTrak device and smartphone app, which provides a convenient way for families to stay updated on their loved one’s diabetes management. Using a Bluetooth adaptor that plugs into the glucose meter, the ShugaTrak app automatically receives blood glucose readings and then sends that information to designated individuals (parents, caregivers, etc.) through texts or e-mails. Once the Bluetooth adaptor is plugged in to the meter, there are no extra steps needed when checking blood sugar levels in order for ShugaTrak to work. 

ShugaTrak is only available for certain glucose meters and Android phones, though the team is working on releasing the app for iPhone soon (you can pre-order the iPhone app here). ShugaTrak is available in the U.S. – the Bluetooth adaptor costs $19.95 (plus $6.95 for shipping/handling), and the app itself costs $4.99 per month.

Hopefully, ShugaTrak can alleviate the stress that parents often experience when their child with diabetes is out of their care. Dexcom’s Share is another promising device that will transmit glucose data (in this case, from a CGM) automatically to loved ones – as we’ve noted before, the G4 Platinum receiver will plug into the Dexcom Share docking cradle. The Share cradle (plugged into a power outlet) will both charge the receiver and transmit CGM data every five minutes to a nearby iPhone or iPod touch via Bluetooth. The Dexcom Share app on a nearby smartphone will receive the CGM data and send it up to the Internet. Once there, the data can be shared with up to five people. Dexcom’s Share was submitted to the FDA in July 2013, and approval is expected very soon. – AJW/NL