Review of the New Contour Next One Blood Glucose Meter and App

In October, Ascensia (formerly Bayer) launched its newest blood glucose meter and integrated app-The CONTOUR®NEXT ONE meter and the CONTOUR®DIABETES app. You can find out more about the specifics of this new meter and app here. DISCLAIMER;

Thriveabetes was asked if we would share information about this new product with our followers and subscribers. I was really interested in this meter, I asked if I could have a meter sent to me. Both the meter and the app are free for everybody and the meter had already been launched in Ireland (details of how to get it at the end of this post).

Once I received the Contour Next One meter and I downloaded the app from the Apple App store. I volunteered to do the blog post review and have not received any payment of any kind to do this. I have tried to give an unbiased review but I feel that maybe I’m a little spoilt when it comes to the diabetes devices. I would like to re-enforce that my opinion is just one opinion. What works for me is not going to work for every person with diabetes.

In writing this post I realised that checking my blood glucose on a meter alone isn’t enough for me. That I really do appreciate an app that allows me to input the information associated with that blood glucose reading. I need to include if this reading is before or after a meal, if I am using this reading to calculate insulin dosage, how much carb I’m about to eat, physical activity, etc. I have been using the MySugr App to log my blood glucose readings for almost two years and I love it.

This meter is one of the few existing blood glucose meters that is integrated with a smartphone app. BG results captured throughout the day are automatically synced and logged. It removes the need for uploading to a desktop computer or laptop.

Last week, I listed all the key features of this meter, how it works, how to get it and what devices it works on. Read here.

I also found out that my smart devices are all “iOld” and not fully compatible with the App but I could still use it effectively and I’ve taken that into consideration in my review.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

This meter sends your blood glucose reading straight to the app, via bluetooth, which can be accessed on a smartphone, tablet or computer. This meter & app is ideal for parents of a child who has type 1 diabetes because you can have multiple users of the App. If your child has an SNA at school who is helping him/her with her blood glucose checking and has the app on their phone, the parent at home has access to the same information on the app on their phone, tablet or desktop.

THE GOOD.

My first impression of the CONTOUR®NEXT ONE was how compact it is and could easily fit in a jeans pocket.

It was easy to perform a blood glucose check. To be honest, if you have to consult a user guide to do this then the meter is an epic fail! So, phew on this one:-)

I really like that I could chose to turn off the features that unsettled me such as the beeps (sound effects). It’s comforting in a room full of people with diabetes to hear the beeps but not when you are not in a room full of people who do not have diabetes.

It’s extremely easy to add additional information to your blood glucose readings.

The extended graph, accessible by turning your phone sideways does provide you with useful information that may improve your diabetes management.

The App has the basics of a really useful App.

THE “TO BE IMPROVED”

The lancet device is an exercise in cruelty, even at it’s lowest setting and changing the lancet each time. I stuck with it for 4 days and my fingers were in such pain that I went back to my old lancet device from my previous meter.

I had to consult the user booklet several times to figure out some of the bells and whistles, such as the meal tagging, how to switch off the coloured lights and the sounds, how to see the extended graph.

Traffic light reading; I can see why some people might like this but not me. I'm not a big fan of having each blood glucose result graded by like this. This feature is on the MySugr app, but it tells you how you did for the day and not per reading. So after a couple of checks I turned this feature off.

The extended graph on my phone was not easy to interpret. It was lots of coloured dots that told me what my average blood glucose reading was for that time of day. But this is not as good as having the percentage of time I was above or below my target range. So this app did not help me improve my diabetes management.

The app only allows you to enter insulin in half unit increments and as a pump user this wasn’t much use to me. I would need to be able to input .05 units of insulin.

The screen can sometimes be difficult to read.

Medtronic Insulin Pump users will be disappointed to know that this meter, for the moment, does not sync to the pump.

MY OVERALL IMPRESSION

So my impression is that I would definitely use this meter for it’s accuracy and it's convenience. But I won’t be using this meter right now because I am tied to the Animas Insulin Pump software; Diasend which allows me to upload my pump, my current meters, because they're made by the same company, and my dexcom cgm. The app, in my opinion, is a good start, but as I’m using a well-established app, I found the Contour Diabetes App user interface needs more development.

I look forward to the day that this app syncs with whatever meter I like to use, or a meter company comes up with an app that is equal to the one that I currently use (because it’s really good and easy to use).

I'm extremely optimistic that meter companies are realising that this is what people with diabetes have been asking for and are taking steps to achieve it.

HOW TO GET IT?

The Contour Next One is available through their website: https://www.contournextone.ie/free-meter/ Or by telephoning 1 890 920 111 (Mon-Fri, 9:00am-5:00pm).

New Contour Next One Blood Glucose Meter and App

It's certainly been a busy time for the launch of new diabetes products in Ireland; the Freestyle Libre was launched in November. You can read 16 year old Hailey’s review of the Libre here and some information about the funding of it here. And earlier in October, Ascensia (formerly Bayer) launched its newest blood glucose meter and integrated app - CONTOUR®NEXT ONE meter and the CONTOUR®DIABETES app. You can find out more about the specifics of this new meter and app here. Thriveabetes was asked if we would share information about this new product with our followers and subscribers. And, as I was really interested in this meter myself, I asked if I could have a meter sent to me. Both the meter and the app are free for everybody and the meter had already been launched in Ireland. I've been using it for a couple of weeks now and I'll do a full review of it for you next week.

This meter is one of the few existing blood glucose meters that is integrated with a smartphone app. Blood Glucose results captured throughout the day are automatically synced and logged. It removes the need for uploading to a desktop computer or laptop.

From the Contour Next One website, the key features are;

- Wireless-enabled smart meter that links to a smart mobile device via Bluetooth® connectivity. - smartALERTS™ for critical high or critical low readings. - SmartLIGHTTM feature that gives instant indicator of your blood glucose results using traffic light colours. - Second-Chance™ sampling, which prompts blood to be reapplied if there is not enough the first time, helping to avoid lancing for a second time and the wasting of strips. - Exceeds the EN ISO 15197:2015 accuracy criteria accuracy.

"EN ISO 15197:2015 states that ≥95% of results must be within ± 0.83 mmol/L of the reference result for samples with blood glucose concentrations ˂5.56 mmol/L or ±15% for samples with blood glucose concentrations ≥5.56 mmol/L. Data in the clinical setting showed that 99.4% of readings from subject-obtained fingertip results."

- The ability to share the reports of your blood glucose results and patterns with your healthcare professional either in advance or on the day of their appointment.

I found out that my smart devices are all “iOld” and not compatible with the App but I could still use it effectively and I’ve taken that into consideration in my review. See the very end of this post for a list of all the devices that this app is compatible with.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

This meter sends your blood glucose reading straight to the app, via bluetooth, which can be accessed on a smartphone, tablet or computer. This meter & app is ideal for parents of a child who has type 1 diabetes because you can have multiple users of the App. If your child has an SNA at school who is helping him/her with her blood glucose checking and has the app on their phone, the parent at home has access to the same information on the app on their phone, tablet or desktop.

HOW TO GET IT?

The Contour Next One is available through their website: https://www.contournextone.ie/free-meter/ Or by telephoning 1 890 920 111 (Mon-Fri, 9:00am-5:00pm).

The CONTOUR® DIABETES app works with the following mobile devices:

Apple (iOS) mobile devices installed with Apple iOS 8 and above, which includes at a minimum: iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 iPad 4, iPad Air, iPad Air 2 iPad mini 2, 3, 4 iPad Pro iPod touch 5 and 6

Android mobile devices installed with Android Lollipop 5.0 and above, which includes at a minimum:

Samsung Galaxy S4/S4 Mini/S5/S5 Mini/S6 Samsung Galaxy Note 2/3/4/5 Samsung Galaxy A5

Support for Parents of children with type 1 diabetes

Rosaleen Bradley is a mum four children; 3 boys; and to Beth age 5, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in April 2016. The Bradley family live in Donegal.Rosaleen very quickly realised that having support from extended family members was going to be very important for them to be all that they needed to be to support Beth. They also realised that Beth’s school needed to be supportive also.

"Here’s our Story..... Beth Bradley Age 5 - Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes 23rd April 2016

Words continue to fail me when I attempt to describe that horrific feeling that ran through my veins as our Local GP turned to me, with so much empathy in his eyes, and said “Your Daughter has Type 1 Diabetes”. Internally, I battled with my emotions as I allowed my mother’s instincts of protectiveness to kick in to ensure that my devastation wasn’t obvious to my beautiful little girl, who would inevitably have this cross to bear for the rest of her precious life. Although very unaware of the complexities and impact of Type 1 Diabetes at this point, I felt very strongly that this would not change the feisty little girl that we had. I knew how important it would be that she remained the strong and positive wee lady she had always been.

We spent 7 days in hospital trying to gain control over her blood glucose whilst getting what seemed like a very intensive crash course on how to keep our little girl alive. I certainly considered ourselves lucky, firstly due to the early diagnosis which had avoided a DKA scenario, but secondly, because of the invaluable support we got from the diabetic nurse, who herself has type 1 diabetes. I honestly believe she went way beyond her call of duty to ensure that every aspect of diabetes was covered during our stay.

Beth continued to thrive although her wee personality didn’t make things easy during that week for staff. Beth developed a tendency to bolt from the ward for every insulin injection. We found her in various places like fire cupboards, behind nurse stations and under consultant’s desks throughout the week. This was heart breaking, but my husband and I both knew that this ability to fight back would see her through some tough years ahead. We found that the more we learned about diabetes the scarier it got. Yet, having so much to learn meant that folding, emotionally, as we felt like doing, just wasn’t an option. We needed to absorb so much information in so little time.

Being discharged and returning home with Beth to her Dad and three adoring big brothers was almost as scary as the initial diagnosis. The overwhelming need to get back to “normal” or indeed our new “normal” presented many challenges such as figuring out school arrangements and trying to give both our boys, immediate family and friends, an insight into the impact of this diagnosis. We found ourselves completely exhausted and reluctant to share how completely terrifying diabetes was for us, fearing that it would cause a barrier to their normal interactions and time with Beth. Very quickly, the standard answer to the question “How’s Beth?” became “Fine”.

We are very grateful, though, to have had family who saw through this and asked the question again. They took the time to learn how to manage Beth’s diabetes so that we could have respite from time to time which has been invaluable. I think it’s vital to seek out those who are willing to be of a practical support to you and invest your, limited time, and energy into giving them the training and confidence they need to best support you.

Returning to school was an issue for us, as Beth’s existing school showed very little desire or competency in putting measures in place to ensure her safety. They would have been quite happy for me to come in to do all that was required but I didn’t feel that that was acceptable at any level. I needed to continue to work. And I needed to know that Beth was in an environment that understood the necessity for monitoring her and have the ability to ensure a positive perception around her diabetes. We took a decision to move Beth to a new school. And I haven’t looked back. We are delighted with the approach that her new school has taken to her diabetes and we can both feel confident in her care throughout the day which is so important.

Beth herself inspires us each and every day with her strength, sense and positivity. She has a very no-nonsense approach to people who don’t understand diabetes, which is comical at her age and has often been heard telling people “well you’ll just have to learn” or “mammy can write it down for you and I can go with you then”. She uses the Freestyle Libre which we wouldn’t be without and by now there is not a kid on the street that doesn’t know how to scan her blood glucose levels. I am not sure that sharing our story will benefit anyone, but for me, taking time to reflect has given me a certain sense of release and acknowledge how far we’ve come.

Little did I know seven months ago when setting out to the GP’s that our lives were about to change forever but we’ve met some great people along the way. We still have our great wee family and although I know diabetes will continue to be a challenge for us all, it won’t beat us. To all parents of children with Type 1 out there “I genuinely salute you”

Rosaleen Bradley

Thank you Rosaleen for this wonderful piece. If you are a parent of a child with type 1 diabetes and you would like to either connect with the Diabetes Online Community, or if you would like to meet other families living with type 1 diabetes in real life, and believe me now is the time with all of those christmas events happening in those groups, follow this link.