INSULIN ALGORITHMS IN THE SELF-MANAGEMENT OF INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES - THE INTERACTIVE APPLE JUICE PROGRAM

The 'Apple Juice' program is an interactive diabetes self-management p rogram which runs on a lap-top Macintosh Powerbook 100 computer. The d ose-by-dose insulin advisory program was initially designed for childr en with insulin-dependent (type 1) diabetes mellitus. It utilizes seve ral different insulin algorithms, measurement formulae, and compensati on factors for meals, activity, medication and the dawn phenomenon. It was developed to assist the individual with diabetes and/or care prov iders, in determining specific insulin dosage recommendations througho ut a 24 h period. Information technology functions include, but are no t limited to automated record keeping, data recall, event reminders, d ata trend/pattern analyses and education. This paper highlights issues , observations and recommendations surrounding the use of the current version of the software, along with a detailed description of the insu lin algorithms and measurement formulae applied successfully with the author's daughter over a six year period.