Ascensia Diabetes Care has launched an upgraded version of its Contour Diabetes app in 24 countries across the world.
The app is designed to connect to the company’s integrated blood glucose device, the Contour Next One meter. The new version includes the new My Patterns feature which uses algorithms to analyse blood glucose results from the Contour Next One meter. Patients receive feedback designed to help them improve self-managing their condition.
The My Patterns feature allows patients to set reminders or use testing plans to help improve their blood glucose patterns. The app tracks progress over time to see if patterns improve and the latest version can recognise 14 different patterns and use 11 different structured testing plans.
The feature has been developed using evidence-based behavioural science concepts from the Information, Motivation and Behavioural Skills (IMB) model of health behaviour change, pioneered by health psychologists Dr William Fisher and Dr Jeffrey Fisher. The model highlights how people with diabetes need actionable information, motivation and a set of specific behavioural skills in order to improve their self-management.
Dr. William Fisher, professor of Psychology and health psychologist at Western University, London, Canada, commented “Self-management is essential in diabetes, and three decades of research concerning the Information—Motivation—Behavioural Skills model of health behaviour show that well informed and well–motivated individuals who have the skills needed to initiate and maintain health behaviours can do so effectively and over the long-term. The IMB model—stressing the provision of actionable diabetes self-management information, motivation to act on it, and skills development for acting effectively—helped guide development of this latest version of the Contour Diabetes app to create an accessible, intuitive tool that employs an evidence- based health behaviour model delivered through the latest technology, to enable more effective and personalised diabetes self-management.”
Michael Kloss, chief executive officer, Ascensia Diabetes Care, explained “The My Patterns feature on the new Contour Diabetes app represents a real advance in the use of data for diabetes management. It can uncover patterns in blood glucose readings that patients may not have otherwise recognised and provides tailored reminders that can support improved self-management. This can help people with diabetes stay on track between visits to their doctor and can provide meaningful information for more informed consultations.”
“We are very excited to be able to bring this new innovation to patients. At Ascensia we are listening to feedback from people with diabetes about their needs, and are continuing to invest in further development of the Contour Diabetes app, so that we can provide solutions that make diabetes self-management better, easier and smarter.”
