The GlucoWatch, by Cygnus Inc., sends tiny electric currents through the wearer's skin to check blood sugar levels every 20 minutes. The device also has an alarm, which sounds if the blood sugar drops to dangerously low levels, providing added protection when the user is asleep. Researchers still do not know if it works in children. So patients still need to be using traditional finger-stick blood tests to confirm that they need to use their insulin.
Doctors have to be trained how to use it.
Then they must train their patients. Patients have to pass a quiz before they can purchase the device. The company has not disclosed how much the device will cost. Before they strap it to their wrist, they first put on a thin plastic sensor. The electric current takes out a small amount of glucose from the fluid of skin cells, instead of the blood.