Analysis of the role of electronic blood glucose trending software in improving health outcomes in a primary care setting.

With the increasing prevalence of diabetes reaching 7% of the total U.S. population,(1) the need for additional tools and resources to help physicians treating diabetes in a primary care setting is needed and often times lacking. In this issue of Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology (DST), Janssen et al.(4) evaluate the role of Ascensia WinGLUCOFACTS Professional Blood Glucose Management Software in improving blood glucose control, diabetes related behaviors, and patient knowledge and attitudes in a primary care setting versus the traditional handwritten blood glucose (BG) logs. Results from their analysis include a clinically significant reduction in A1C from baseline in comparison to the 9 and 12 month checks (-0.64 at 9 months, and -0.41 at 12 months).