Diabetes smartphone test could diagnose condition in under 10 minutes

From the-independent.com

The creators of the world-first app at diagnostics company PocDoc say the test could also save the NHS billions 

The world’s first smartphone test for type 2 diabetes could see diagnosis time cut from weeks or months to less than 10 minutes, experts have said.

NHS trusts in Cumbria and the northeast of England are the first to give patients access to the Diabetes Health Check app, with a nationwide rollout planned for later this year.

The creators of the app at diagnostics company PocDoc added that the test could save the NHS billions.

Approximately 5.2 million people in the UK have type 2 diabetes, and a further 1.3 million are thought to be undiagnosed.

The new test, which combines the “gold standard” finger-prick test with a smartphone app, is set to revolutionise preventative treatment for the disease, which costs the NHS £8.8bn a year.

“Enabling screening for type 2 diabetes risk, including blood biomarkers, via a smartphone app, is something that has never been done before,” said Steve Roest, CEO of PocDoc. “This approach doesn’t just improve patient access; it helps ease pressure on frontline services and supports a more sustainable, digitally enabled NHS.”

The new service uses the HbA1c biomarker, which measures average blood glucose levels over the past two to three months.

NHS trusts in Cumbria and the northeast of England are the first to give patients access to the Diabetes Health Check app (PA)

For the test, patients place a finger-prick blood sample on PocDoc’s patented tester, which performs a process known as a microfluidic assay. Then the patient scans the test using the PocDoc app and receives their result almost immediately, in contrast to the current process, which can take weeks or months.

Mr Roest said the app enables earlier detection and prevention, and moves testing and diagnosis into a community or home setting, which aligns with the aims of health secretary Wes Streeting’s 10-year plan for the NHS.

A pilot of the Diabetes Health Check is underway and will be rolled out across the UK later this year, Mr Roest added.

Professor Julia Newton, from Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria, said: “Type 2 diabetes impacts thousands of individuals across the UK. But this is a disease which can be easily prevented and reversed through early detection, dietary and lifestyle changes.

“Digital testing services like PocDoc’s will make it easier for thousands of people to identify their risk of this disease, at the touch of a button. We’re delighted to be the first to pilot this revolutionary product in the UK, which has the potential to save thousands of lives.”

https://www.the-independent.com/news/health/diabetes-health-check-app-nhs-b2812882.html

Review: Artificial intelligence is shaping the future of diabetes care

From news-medical.net/news

The global incidence and prevalence of diabetes continue to rise, increasing rates of associated disability and mortality while imposing a substantial economic burden. Despite advancements in medical technology, diabetes management faces persistent challenges, including a shortage of specialists, uneven distribution of healthcare resources, and low patient adherence, all contributing to suboptimal glycaemic control.

A new review (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hcr.2024.100006) published in the journal Healthcare and Rehabilitation reveals how artificial intelligence (AI) is bringing major changes to diabetes care. By analysing data from blood sugar levels, medical history, and even retinal scans, AI tools can now predict diabetes subtypes, identify high-risk patients, and tailor solutions to individual needs—improving accuracy, reducing healthcare costs and addressing critical gaps in diagnosis, treatment, and daily management.

AI isn't just a tool; it's a partner in care. For example, AI can detect early signs of eye damage from diabetes in retinal images as accurately as specialists, which is critical for preventing blindness."

Dr. Ling Gao, principal investigator of the study, Central Laboratory at Shandong Provincial Hospital

The research highlights several breakthroughs:

- Early Complication Detection: AI predicts risks like kidney disease and heart issues by spotting patterns humans might miss.

- Personalized Treatment: Smart systems adjust insulin doses in real time, cutting dangerous blood sugar swings.

- Diet and Exercise Guidance: Apps analyse meals via photos and suggest recipes, while AI coaches recommend workouts based on location and health data.

Notably, AI even outperformed traditional methods in some areas. "For instance, CT scans analysed by AI could screen for osteoporosis in diabetes patients as effectively as specialized bone density tests," adds Gao. "Wearable devices like smart glucose monitors and socks that detect foot infections further showcase AI's potential to keep patients healthy at home."

However, challenges remain. "AI models need diverse data to avoid biases," emphasizes senior author Dr. Zhongming Wu, a professor in basic and translational studies of endocrine and metabolic diseases, at Affiliated Hospital of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shandong First Medical University. "A tool trained based on just one population might fail elsewhere."

Additionally, issues like data privacy and the "black box" nature of some AI decisions require careful handling.

The study calls for stronger collaboration between tech developers, doctors, and policymakers to ensure AI tools are safe, fair, and accessible. "AI is a powerful ally in diabetes care, but human oversight remains essential," notes Gao. "While AI won't replace human clinicians, it empowers them to make faster, smarter decisions—ultimately transforming diabetes from a one-size-fits-all disease into a condition managed with precision and foresight."

Source:

KeAi Communications

Journal reference:

Ma, S., et al. (2025). Artificial intelligence and medical-engineering integration in diabetes management: Advances, opportunities, and challenges. Healthcare and Rehabilitation. doi.org/10.1016/j.hcr.2024.100006.

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250226/Review-Artificial-intelligence-is-shaping-the-future-of-diabetes-care.aspx

How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Diabetes Care

From diatribe.org

Key takeaways:

• New AI tools are emerging in diabetes care and research to analyse data in new ways
• A panel of experts said that the growing availability of these AI tools has the potential to increase the quality of diabetes care. 
• Security and privacy concerns persist and should be addressed for wider adoption of the new technology.

The emergence of artificial intelligence in healthcare has put diabetes care at the precipice of tremendous change, potentially offering people more control over their health and greater access to new options to manage their glucose levels and all aspects of their lives. 

Such topics were at the forefront of an expert panel discussion on the opening day of the ADA 2024 Scientific Sessions conference in Orlando, Florida, asking the question, “How will Artificial Intelligence Change Clinical Practice?” The answer was unequivocal: AI promises to deliver significant improvements in diabetes care for those who avail themselves of digital tools, such as apps, pumps, AID systems and CGMs.

For those now using continuous glucose monitors, the machine learning revolution is already under way, according to the expert panellists. The improved time in range that most people with CGMs experience from tracking their glucose levels is the basic building block of future AI, data-driven advancements.

The future of diabetes data science

While AI has meaningful uses across health care in general — using pattern recognition, large language models, expert systems and decision support — diabetes care is uniquely positioned to benefit from AI advances since technology has made it so quantifiable, said Dr. Boris Kovatchev of the University of Virginia. 

“AI applications are rapidly entering healthcare,” Kovatchev said. “Generative AI and large language models are at the forefront of this trend. Diabetes is one of the best quantified human conditions. Hence, diabetes care is making rapid progress with numerous applications.”

Advances that he listed include:

• Detection and prediction of events, classification and tracking disease progression,
• AI powering decision support systems,
• AI-driven neural network automated insulin delivery,
• AI-augmented clinical trials – “a most promising future,” he said.

Of particular note, Kovatchev presented results from the Virtual DCCT Project to illustrate how AI can augment clinical trials by reproducing virtual CGM traces for each DCCT participant to provide insights into how CGM metrics could relate to the risk for chronic complications and severe hypoglycaemia in the historic study data. 

Not only did the AI trial reproduce A1C outcomes of the groups in the treatment groups in the original DCCT trial, but Kovatchev showed how the AI-augmented study of the decades old trial was able to measure a “simulated” Time in Range that was significantly higher (60%-70%) in the “virtual” intensive treatment group compared to the “virtual” conventional treatment group.  

AI and diabetes devices

Dr. Peter Jacobs, director of the Artificial Intelligence for Medical Systems lab at Oregon Health & Science University, predicted a future in which a person with diabetes might be able to use an AI-enabled “automated hormone delivery system.” 

This hypothetical future system would take much of the guesswork and mental labour out of daily management by including:

• Automatic detection and dosing of insulin and pramlintide for meals
• Automatic detection and prevention of DKA with a ketone monitor
• Automatic detection of exercise and adjustment of insulin and glucagon to avoid hypoglycaemia
• Automatic pattern detection to forecast and solve future problems
• Automatic adjustment of insulin dosing in response to cyclical events, such as weekends, menstruation, or illness.
• Digital twin-based decision support on medication choices, exercise guidelines and nutrient intake
• Automated detection of pump occlusion, sensor failures and other system faults
• Alert system and user interface that learns to optimally satisfy the user

This future world is not yet here, but it might not be far off, said Jacobs, who has been working with his team to develop advanced control systems for the delivery of insulin and glucagon, among other uses of AI assistance in diabetes care and research. 

“There’s a lot of new technologies coming out right now that could significantly help people,” he said. “We’re at a time right now where you have an explosion of accurate sensors, an explosion of computation and access to all these tools. Combining computation with sensors, it's a tremendous opportunity and an exciting time for patients.” 

Connecting teams to deliver more powerful care

The third panellist at the session, Dr. Mudassir Rashid of the Illinois Institute of Technology, spoke about his research into how the use of AI impacts multidisciplinary team approaches to healthcare. The complexity of diabetes care and its need for coordination between healthcare teams make it well suited for AI enhancements, he said.

Rashid said the safe use of AI must include protections for data security and privacy as well as efforts to build trust in AI systems. In addition, he said, it is important to be aware of the potential for bias of algorithms and have clinicians ensure proper diagnosis, care and patient outcomes.

“People should be excited about the fact that it’s going to empower them,” he said of the emergence of AI technology in diabetes care. “It’s going to give them a lot more knowledge and insights about the chronic disease outside of the clinical setting, so they can get information outside of seeing their doctor. And this can also inform their diabetes treatment and care.” 

Security and privacy

Such data, Rashid explained, can be analysed by AI tools and then be available for the patient’s health care team and caretakers to glean specific insights about the individual to offer them better care. 

“There are some concerns with data privacy and security, but the best way to overcome them is to demonstrate to patients that there are safeguards,” he said. “It’s their data, it belongs to the patients, so more has to be done in securing their privacy. I’m optimistic that these are  technical and regulatory challenges that we can overcome. This is going to substantially improve care for people with diabetes.” 

https://diatribe.org/diabetes-technology/how-artificial-intelligence-changing-diabetes-care

What Should Be in a Care Plan for Diabetes?

From healthline.com

Whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, a care plan can help you identify how you’ll treat your condition. This plan can serve as a roadmap to managing your condition.

Ideally, a care plan helps you identify how you will manage your diabetes daily, whom to call if you have concerns, and goals to improve your overall health.

Keep reading to learn more about what your plan should include, plus tips for building an ideal care plan for diabetes.

What should a diabetes care plan include?

Diabetes management requires a balance of healthy eating, regular physical activity, and blood sugar monitoring. 

Your diabetes care plan should include your blood sugar management goals and methods, such as insulin dosages, device settings, and medications.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source outlines a diabetes care plan based on your daily, monthly, and other regular-interval activities. The daily parts of your diabetes care plan should include:

Points	Considerations
Blood sugar checks	• How often will you check your blood sugar? • What is your desired blood sugar range? • How will you correct high or low blood sugars? • When do you call your doctor for blood sugar results?
Medications	• What are the medications you take daily to manage your diabetes? • How will you manage low blood sugars (e.g., will you carry glucose tablets)? • At what times of day will you take your diabetes medications? • What happens if you accidentally skip a medication dose?
Food	• What is your daily carbohydrate recommendation? • What are some foods you can eat that keep your blood sugars in target range? • If you can’t eat, how do you adjust your insulin or medications?
Physical activity	• What is your daily goal for physical activity? • When do you adjust medication dosages or blood sugar for physical activity?
Foot checks	• How or who will help you check your feet daily for cuts, sores, or swelling? • When should you call your doctor about what you see?

Your diabetes care plan should also include longer-term checks and management plans. Examples of these include the following:

How often?	Considerations and monitoring
Every 3 months	• Get an A1C test if your doctor recommends it. • Consult a doctor if you are in the beginning stages of diabetes management.
Every 6 months	• Get a dental check-up. • Get an A1C test if your blood sugar levels have been in range. • Have your weight checked, review your care plan, and check your blood pressure.
Every 12 months (yearly)	• Get your flu shot. • Get a dilated eye examination. • Get a cholesterol test. • See a doctor for a complete foot check.

At every phase of your care plan, it’s important to identify when you should call your healthcare team and who else will help you manage your health daily or in case of an emergency.

Why is a care plan important for diabetes?

While you don’t have to be perfect, managing your health requires a plan.

Organization and planning can make all the difference. A plan helps take some of the guesswork out of your daily activities and keeps you aware of when you should seek care.

You can make your plan and manage your diabetes in different ways. Examples include:

• purchasing a journal or notebook and creating dedicated pages for different management aspects (such as medications, blood sugar goals, etc.)
• using American Diabetes Association (ADA) resources, which feature write-in areas, or a Diabetes Medical Management Plan for school use.
• downloading an app to manage your diabetes, such as MySugr, which offers carbohydrate counting and glucose tracking options

Research from 2020 suggests that using written (or online) plans helps improve clinical management of type 2 diabetes, including decreases in cholesterol, high blood pressure, and body mass index.

How is a type 1 diabetes care plan different?

When you have type 1 diabetes, you must take insulin by either injection, subcutaneously through an insulin pump, or with an inhaled powder form. 

Some people with type 2 diabetes use insulin in these ways, but others do not and can manage their condition through other medications, food choices, and exercise.

That’s why a type 1 diabetes care plan often differs from a type 2 care plan. A type 1 plan will almost always include instructions for insulin dosage and management.

Because you are taking insulin and essentially calculating how your body might perform that same task if it could, there is more risk of both low blood sugars (hypoglycaemia) and rebound high blood sugars (hyperglycaemia). A diabetes care plan for type 1 diabetes should include hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia management strategies.

Insulin, medications, and diabetes supplies

An important part of your diabetes care plan is how you use the supplies and medications you have. Tracking how often you need to get refills can help you avoid being without necessary medications.

You may wish to create a section for supplies in your care plan that includes the following:

Supplies	Considerations
insulin	• What type(s) of insulin do you use? • How much insulin do you take? • When do you take this insulin? • How often do you need medication refills?
medications	• What medication(s) do you use? • When do you use them? • How often do you need refills? • Who obtains your refills (are they mailed to you or do you need to call your pharmacy or doctor)?
continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and insulin pumps	• What brand is your insulin monitor/pump? • What are the device settings, such as insulin doses and carb ratios? • Where do you keep the instructions? • Are there different CGM supplies you need to use this device? • Does the CGM use a mobile app, and what are the log-in settings? • How often do you change its position? • What is your backup plan for insulin injections if the pump fails or stops working?
lancets and testing supplies	• What brand is your fingerstick glucose meter? • How many test strips, alcohol swabs, and lancets do you get at a time? • How often do you clean your meter? • What type of batteries does your meter take? Do you have extra batteries to replace them? • How and when do you obtain additional testing supplies?

These are just some examples of the considerations you can make surrounding your diabetes management supplies.

Whom should you involve in your diabetes care?

Several specialists may be involved in your diabetes care. These may include:

• a certified diabetes care and education specialist, formerly known as a diabetes educator
• a doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant
• an exercise specialist, such as a personal trainer
• an eye doctor
• a mental health professional, such as a psychologist or counselor
• a pharmacist
• a podiatrist
• a registered dietitian or nutritionist

Your family and friends are also an important part of your care team.

Using your diabetes care plan in school and at work

When you have diabetes, you can experience episodes of high and low blood sugar. When this occurs, you may not be able to care for yourself.

It’s a good idea to share your diabetes care plan with a trusted co-worker, school nurse, or other individual who could help you if you need medical attention (even if it’s just explaining that you have diabetes and how you treat it).

What is a 504 plan for diabetes care in school?

If you or a loved one is in school and have diabetes, you are protected by section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to create a 504 plan. This plan ensures that the school provides a medically safe environment and fair treatment. The ADA provides sample 504 plans, and the school may have examples as well.

Your diabetes care plan isn’t just for an emergency. You may also need school or work contacts to know your plan if you need extra help or time. Examples could include:

• letting a cafeteria or meal plan know you need low carbohydrate foods or are counting carbohydrates
• making sure you have regular breaks to check your blood sugar and inject insulin (if needed)
• identifying a refrigerator where you can store your meals or insulin (if needed) safely

Employment rights can also be a big issue when it comes to diabetes care, and Americans have many different employment rights via the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Some of those rights under federal law might include questions relating to the following:

• What are reasonable accommodations at work?
• Do I have a right to medical leave to take care of my diabetes?
• Can my employer require me to get a medical examination because of my diabetes?
• What if my employer fires me over my diabetes management?

The ADA is a key organization that addresses employment and school rights for the Diabetes Community, and it has an entire division aimed at legal advocacy for those who might be facing these workplace or school situations.

Often, elements of these resources provided by the ADA are found in diabetes care plans — especially for those living with type 1 diabetes.

Navigating insurance with your diabetes care in mind

When you have diabetes, you require medications and supplies. But you may have insurance limitations or plans that require a certain pharmacy, refill schedule, or even writing on prescriptions to ensure your insurance will reimburse you.

Your insurance policy should include an explanation of benefits (EOB). This is often a very long document, and it should describe your coverage for several conditions and medications. You can also contact your insurance company if you have specific questions.

Some aspects related to insurance and diabetes care planning include:

• How often can I get my prescriptions refilled?
• How do I receive my medicines? Does my plan require online ordering and delivery or can I visit my local pharmacy?
• How often do I need to get new prescriptions written by my doctor for my medications?
• Do I need my doctor to certify a need for certain diabetes medications, testing equipment, or supplies? What wording does the insurance company need to accept the prescription?

Understandably, navigating insurance with diabetes can be overwhelming. Remember that your doctor’s office navigates insurance on a daily basis and can be a great source of guidance to help you make sure you have the supplies and medications you need when you need them.

The bottom line

Diabetes care plans can improve your health by helping you understand how you’re managing your condition and where you could potentially improve.

They provide a roadmap for yourself and your loved ones to how you will manage and treat your diabetes.

Talk with your doctor about how you can create a diabetes management plan that will best benefit you.

https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/care-plan-for-diabetes#whats-in-a-care-plan 

The war on diabetes goes digital

From businesstimes.com.sg

In Singapore, over S$1 billion is spent yearly on managing diabetes, a cost digital healthcare technology aims to reduce.

Singapore
DIABETES is one of the fastest growing health challenges of the 21st century. In Singapore, the prevalence of diabetes in adults aged 18 and above has nearly doubled in just 15 years - from 7 per cent in 2004 to 13.7 per cent today (about 606,000 people).

What is perhaps of most concern about the diabetes trend is how unaware people remain of it.
"Diabetes is a silent disease," explained Pedro Goncalves, head of Roche Diabetes Care Region International (APAC, Middle-East, Africa, Russia & LATAM). "You can have it and not know it until it's quite late."

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimates that half of adults with diabetes - about 232 million people worldwide - are undiagnosed, which puts them at high risk of developing serious diabetes-related complications such as blindness, nerve damage, heart disease and limb amputation. Singapore, for example, has the world's highest rate of diabetic kidney failure, despite its proclaimed war on diabetes.

Therefore, companies such as Roche Diabetes Care have begun investing in digital alternatives to help people track their health information.

"It's very important to have information on glucose levels and other markers immediately accessible by doctors and healthcare professionals," said Mr Goncalves. Digital technology that can facilitate quicker, easier consolidation of such information will help diabetes patients get better at staying within healthy ranges, he added.

The advent of digital technology is timely as the cost of diabetes treatment is increasing at double-digit rates throughout Asia. In Singapore alone, over S$1 billion is spent each year on managing diabetes.

Rising trends skew disproportionately towards Type 2 diabetes, driven by growing urbanisation and changing lifestyle habits (higher calorie intake, increasing consumption of processed foods, sedentary lifestyles), said Mr Goncalves. This makes diabetes difficult to detect and manage without regular visits to the doctor.

"It's not about providing only clinical decisions like prescribing, it's really about helping them understand what they do, what they eat, how to balance their lifestyle so they can control the disease better," he said.

Compared to traditional methods, digital technology is able to facilitate not only reactive treatment but also proactive prevention, which many healthcare professionals agree is both more effective and less costly for disease management.
"It's about preventive action and the need to work on the early stage of diabetes, so we avoid this epidemic that is taking place in Asia more than anywhere else in the world," said Mr Goncalves.

mySugr is a free mobile app for managing diabetes. Since its June launch in Singapore, the app has garnered nearly 9,000 users.  PHOTO: ROCHE

One such digital solution is mySugr, a free mobile app for managing diabetes that collects and consolidates relevant therapy data in one place through external devices, integrations, and manual entry. Since its June launch in Singapore, the app has garnered nearly 9,000 users.

"The data allows us to zero in on the areas we can improve on, be it adjusting medicine dosage or food intake, so that I can live as normally as I can," said mySugr user Shane Sim, 31. "It is definitely better than the old school way of using a pen and paper logbook, which is very inconvenient to carry around."

Making diabetes "suck less", as the app's tagline claims, is a helpful motivator for diabetes patients who struggle daily with having to keep track of meals, medications, blood sugar levels and other important data. Said Heng Pei Yan, 33: "I appreciate the constant improvements and modifications made to the app to make blood sugar monitoring fun for users."

"Patients only see a doctor once per year or twice. It's impossible to manage a disease that is influenced by behaviour if you don't have permanent support," he explained. "We need to find other ways of providing support to people, and that's exactly where digital solutions come in."

For S$210, mySugr also offers a three-month subscription plan for mySugr Coaching, an in-app add-on bundle of special features that includes access to direct communication with diabetes educators for personalised advice between clinic visits.

The growing capabilities of healthcare technology aside, the responsibility to take action remains key to health and disease management.
"Technology is just the bridge to help you do things right," said Mr Goncalves. "But it takes a while for humans to change their behaviour ... and that's always a challenge."

"It's a very user-friendly interface," said Eileen Lee, head of communications at Roche Diabetes Care. "It's very gamified, it's very easy to enter your data, so it's not complicated, even for older users."

With the burden of disease management lightened and streamlined by digital solutions, better outcomes can be expected, said Mr Goncalves.

https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/life-culture/the-war-on-diabetes-goes-digital