If you’re diabetic, don’t wait for your smartwatch to replace your needles

As technology rapidly advances, a form of “smart healthcare” has been emerging. Smartwatches, or wearable devices, provide a range of health-related information, from heart rate to sleep quality, but as a diabetic, you should not rely on the data generated by your smartwatch to inform your healthcare decisions.

Although smartwatches offer a range of data that a diabetic can take advantage of, these readings can be inaccurate. A study conducted by the Diabetes Technology Society compared glucose readings from smartwatches to readings from self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) readers. The overall accuracy of the smartwatches was found to be low and showed variations ranging from -63% to +45%. Additionally, a 2015 review of 24 different methods of measuring glucose found that none of them exhibited sufficient accuracy when compared to SMBG.

Smartwatches may also fail to detect serious lapses in blood sugar levels that could lead to complications. For example, most smartwatches used by diabetics rely on electrochemical sensors, which can be tricked by medications like aspirin or acetaminophen that interfere with their accuracy. Furthermore, smartwatch sensors have been shown to struggle with consistently turning on or connecting to Bluetooth, leading to a failure to report readings or intermittent inaccuracies.

Despite these issues, smartwatches still offer some benefits to diabetics. For instance, smartwatches can help diabetics track their food intake, physical activity, and stress levels, which can be useful for managing their health. Additionally, many smartwatches offer reminders to take medication and manage appointments – features that are especially beneficial for diabetics who are forgetful or don’t have easy access to healthcare services.

In general, it is important to remember that if you’re a diabetic, you should never rely solely on the data generated by your smartwatch. While smartwatches can be beneficial in many ways, they are still no substitute for blood glucose readings taken with an SMBG reader and should never be used to make medical decisions. Smartwatches can be a useful supplement to an overall diabetes management plan, but prioritizing blood glucose readings is an essential first step.