More people managing diabetes with open source apps

More people with diabetes are using a combination of open source applications and DIY transmitters to manage their condition.

There is a growing movement of people with diabetes who are frustrated with the current approved method of monitoring glucose levels and are using their own ingenuity to fashion monitoring systems that meet their needs.

One such global community of people with type 1 diabetes has come together to create an open source software called Nightscout, which collects data from a Continuing Glucose Monitor (CGM) and works with a DIY transmitter to provide continuous glucose level readings.

In a recent BBC story, a boy and his father have embraced Nightscout as their platform for managing the boy’s type 1 diabetes and both rave of the freedom it has brought their family.

However, experts caution that software such as Nightscout is not approved by the proper regulatory bodies and has not been rigorously tested. Use with caution, is what the diabetes charity JDRF suggests.

But for people with diabetes who crave more flexibility and the freedom that comes with not having to submit to a daily blood sampling routine, this type of apps offer just the kind of monitoring that can improve their quality of life.

Is this the future of diabetes management? Let us know in the comments.