GLUCOPAGE: a computer program for managing diabetic pregnancy

The microcomputer is an invaluable aid in the management of diabetes mellitus because of its ability to manipulate, summarise, and produce graphical displays from blood glucose data in such a way that new trends, or the effects of changes in therapy, are more readily apparent to the clinician. Currently available software however, while adequate for most purposes, has not been written to cope with the unique problems presented by diabetic pregnancy in which large amounts of data are generated over short periods of time, insulin requirements may change rapidly, and blood glucose control must be extremely tight. We have produced a new program, GLUCOPAGE, specifically for use in the management of diabetic pregnancy. GLUCOPAGE operates in conjunction with the Ames Memory Glucometer, from which it can download data either directly or telemetrically via a modern into the host IBM PC or compatible microcomputer. Large amounts of data can be summarised in various tabular and graphical formats on screen or in printed form. A single A4-size printout, the Glucopage, provides tabular and graphical summaries of a full week's blood glucose data. Copies of the Glucopage may conveniently be filed in the case notes, given to the patient or distributed to other medical staff.