There are enough issues with the data from our diabetes devices to make the average PWD's head spin.

First off, there's the sheer volume of it. Consider that the average glucometer burns through 1500 readings a year -- which hikes up somewhere closer to 6000 if you have type 1 diabetes and don't have a continuous monitor you can rely on. Then there are the carb counts, food data bases, multiple basal rates, special basal rates, bolus wizards, special bolus calculations, and the smartphone calendar alarm to manage them all. Those of us with type 2 diabetes may not have all the insulin data to collect, but we have instead the blood pressure data, and along with the caloric impact of the foods we eat, we have to capture the fat distribution and the sodium levels. For all of us who exercise regularly, there are the heart-rate monitor data, the treadmill, elliptical, and cyclocomputer statistics, and the rep charts for weights. (READ MORE)

I'm in the middle of preparing a presentation for my computer user group on "Connected Medical Devices" -- that is to say, durable medical equipment that has the ability to connect to a smartphone, a computer, or the Internet for the purpose of maintaining a log of data points, keeping track of one or more patients' health, or helping one manage his own health.

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Last week's #dsma (Diabetes Social Media Advocacy) twitter chat topic was the delivery of diabetes education, medication, supplies, and support to others -- both in the US (and other "First World" nations) and emerging ("Third World") nations. I've blogged before about the logistical and political issues organizations such as the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and Doctors Without Borders (MSF -- Médecins Sans Frontières) have in delivering medical care and medications to those in need. But while we often talk as if everyone in the United States had fingertip access to smartphones (with unlimited data plans), cable TV, and the Internet, that certainly is not the case.

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Yesterday, I discussed how I'd like diabetes healthcare providers and the healthcare industry to better use existing tests and technologies, and how I believe our current crop of devices and programs might be developed in the near-term future. Today I'm going to discuss items that will take a bit longer to develop and get through FDA approval, or which may take technological and medical breakthroughs to bring to fruition.

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Over the past few posts, you've seen me comment about diabetes technology -- mostly hardware and supplies -- in the context of a particular issue (hot weather or availability), but nothing really in terms of what I would like to see healthcare providers do in terms of better using existing technology, as well as what I should like to see pharmaceutical companies, software companies, and device manufacturers develop going forward. Because of the length of my wish list, I'm going to break this up into two posts.

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Last weekend I joined many other computer and radio hobbyists at the Trenton Computer Festival for two days of talks, workshops, and parts-vendors. While I was not on the program this year, I found a number of interesting presentations offered, and I spent much of the weekend attending talks. Two of the themes explored were security and privacy, and communicating with nontraditional devices wirelessly using Internet protocols.

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