Continuous Glucose Monitoring Devices: A Growing Area of Digital Therapeutics

by Brent I. Fox, Pharm.D., Ph.D.

IN AMERICAN CULTURE, we commonly define time periods by popular trends, significant happenings, and influential people of the time. For example, the 1980s are commonly known as the “Decade of Decadence” due to the music and entertainment industries that dominated that ten-year period. In fact, Mötley Crϋe fans among ComputerTalk‘s readers fondly remember the band’s 1991 greatest hits release, “Decade of Decadence ’81–’91.”

Similarly, we can define time periods in the healthcare information technology (HIT) space by significant events. The early 2000s could be called the “PDA Era,” as personal digital assistants were all the rage. While they were not initially introduced as health-oriented tools, enterprising providers saw the potential in these devices and began using them as tools to support decision-making.

In 2004, we began the “EHR Era,” when President George W. Bush appointed Dr. David Brailer to be the country’s first national health information tec…