Smart insulin pens (also known as connected pens) are a recent technological development for people with diabetes. Their aim is to make life a bit easier for people who use multiple daily injections.
What is a smart insulin pen?
Smart insulin pens are reusable devices. They record when a person has injected insulin, how much has been injected and at what time of the day.
They also have a dose memory display which shows the amount of time that has passed since the last dose and can also show when a dose has been missed.
Smart insulin pens can also connect with some apps. This enables the user to keep their insulin dosages and blood glucose data in one place. This makes it easier to look at the dose and timing of their insulin along with food they’ve eaten, or any physical activity carried out to see how it has affected them.
The data can also tell you how much insulin is still working in the user’s body. This can help when making decisions about any unplanned activities or unexpected blood glucose readings.
Which smart insulin pens are available in the UK?
There are two smart pens currently available on the NHS:
- NovoPen 6®
- NovoPen Echo Plus®.
Both are reusable and compatible with 3ml Penfill cartridges of insulins.
Which apps connect with smart pens?
Providing your smartphone or tablet supports Near Field Communication (NFC) then Novo’s smart pens can be connected with:
- Mysugr
- FreeStyle LibreLink
- Glooko
- Novo’s smart pens also connect with the Dexcom G6, G7, and Dexcom One (via Glooko).
Novopens only for Novorapid?