“One of the biggest challenges facing parents of children with diabetes is the constant struggle to instil the habit of regular blood glucose testing that is critical for consistent diabetes management,” says John Gregory, Professor in Paediatric Endocrinology, Wales School of Medicine, Cardiff University. “Bayer’s DIDGET meter can help ease the parent/child tension that testing often creates by adding an element of fun and rewards to the routine. Because it is designed with children in mind, Bayer’s DIDGET meter can transform a child’s blood glucose testing experience from something they have to do into something they want to do.”
Bayer’s DIDGET meter positively reinforces consistent testing habits by awarding points that kids can use to unlock new game levels and customise their gaming experience.
“The DIDGET meter is a revolutionary development in healthcare management. Up until, blood glucose monitors have been created with adults in mind,” says Sandra Peterson, Head of Bayer Medical Care. “This product was inspired by a parent of a child with diabetes, to directly address the challenges facing kids with diabetes and their parents. Bayer’s DIDGET meter offers play with purpose to encourage kids to regularly monitor their blood glucose and begin to view regular testing as fun.”
The DIDGET meter, intended for use by kids aged 5-14, will also connect to Bayer’s DIDGET World, a new password-protected web community where kids can spend points that they earn from consistent monitoring practices and create their own page. Bayer’s DIDGET World is currently in development and will be available soon.
Bayer’s DIDGET meter grows with a child’s ability to manage his/her diabetes, offering two testing levels, Basic and Advanced. Self monitoring blood glucose is an essential tool in the optimal management of childhood and adolescent diabetes. Self monitoring blood glucose should be prescribed at a frequency to optimise each child’s diabetes control because frequency of self monitoring blood glucose correlates with glycaemic control.
Bayer’s DIDGET meter is based on Bayer’s trusted CONTOUR system and uses the same technology and test strips, providing the same easy accuracy, No Coding technology, automatic correction for haematocrit and common interfering substances including maltose, 5 second test time, a small (0.6 µL) sample size and automatic detection of control solution. Bayer’s DIDGET meter comes with Knock ‘Em Downs: World’s Fair which includes a full length adventure game and mini game arcade. Bayer’s DIDGET will be available soon. Bayer Diabetes Care UK is working in partnership with the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation (JDRF) in the UK and will donate £5 from the sale of every meter, to the Foundation.
