People with diabetes can attest to the fact that managing it can be difficult, even at the best of times. According to the CDC, those who have it can feel overwhelmed - they must check their blood sugar levels often, remember to take their medicine, and how much they need to take.
Insulin pens can easily help administer much-needed insulin to the body, but keeping track of how much insulin was injected and when it was injected can be troublesome.
Thankfully, advancements in medical science and technology have made it possible for humanity to create Smart Insulin Pens. However, not everyone knows of this device, especially those diagnosed with diabetes for the first time.
So, what is it, and what can it do?
Smart Insulin Pens: What Are They?
Before we discuss what an insulin pen is, let's take a quick detour and learn what a normal Insulin Pen is to better figure out its benefits.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a simple Insulin Pen is an injection device with a needle that delivers insulin to the body's subcutaneous tissue - the one between a person's skin and muscle. It can be used on the abdomen, the front and side of the thighs, the upper and outer arms, and the buttocks.
Although it does its main purpose well, which is the delivery of insulin to the body, people with diabetes must keep a physical or mental record to keep track of how many doses they have in a day to prevent overdosing on insulin.
Too much insulin could result in severe hypoglycemia, often referred to as diabetic shock or insulin shock, per Healthline. Symptoms of hypoglycemia include concentration problems, seizures, and unconsciousness. If left untreated, severe hypoglycemia could result in the death of an individual.
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Smart Insulin Pens, on the other hand, remove most of the manual work usually accompanied by Smart Insulin Pens. According to the American Diabetes Association, a smart insulin pen is like a normal one, but it comes with an intuitive smartphone app that can help diabetic people manage their insulin delivery better.
When connected to a diabetes management app, which we discussed in a previous article, smart insulin pens can record how much insulin is delivered and when the injection occurred, per the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Additionally, it can calculate how much insulin is needed based on current blood sugar level, carbohydrate amounts, meal size, active insulin, and a doctor's prescribed settings.
Smart insulin pens can also deliver accurate half-unit doses, send data to a healthcare team whenever needed, and send notifications when an insulin cartridge has expired or has exceeded its temperature range to get a viable one.
How To Use A Smart Insulin Pen
Using a smart insulin pen is similar to that of a normal insulin pen. Here are some step-by-step instructions you can follow to properly use one:
- Take the hand that you write with and wrap your fingers around the insulin pen, keeping the thumb free to push down the knob that will administer insulin into your body.
- Insert the insulin pen's needle all the way into the skin at a 90-degree-angle and slowly push the knob all the way to deliver a full insulin dose.
- Continue holding the pen for 6-10 seconds before slowly pulling the needle out.
- Bleeding from the injection site may or may not occur. But if it does, apply pressure to it with a clean alcohol wipe or cotton ball. Cover the injection site with a bandage or band-aid if necessary
- Replace the outer cap of the needle carefully and unscrew it from the smart insulin pen to remove it.
- Put the smart insulin pen's cap back on and store it at room temperature.
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