A Research Perspective on Ubiquitous Healthcare for Diabetic Patients

Healthcare systems are prone to change in response to new demographic factors that include an aging society, increasing number of chronic diseases and a growing concern of individuals in managing their own health. The age of wearable computing is upon us. We've been able to shrink computing power from something the size of a room to a box that sat atop a desk, to a smaller box that fits in the palm of our hand, to now an even smaller box we can wear on our bodies. But they're still boxes, more or less: Rigid devices that stick out because they don't conform to the human shape. Diabetes mellitus (DM), commonly referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which there are high blood sugar levels over a prolonged period. Symptoms of high blood sugar include frequent urination, increased thirst, and increased hunger. If left untreated, diabetes can cause many complications. Diabetes mellitus is a significant and growing global health problem, recognized by the World Health Organization and the IDF. Diabetes is not a curable or controllable disease. But through proper food intake, balanced medication and continuous long term observation the progression can be delayed. This paper explains the origin, symptoms, causes and the ill-effects of Type-2 diabetes. It focuses mainly on the various diabetes management techniques that are employed widely to assist type-2 diabetic patients. We have also proposed an innovative temporary tattoo based diabetes self management scheme that provides a cost-effective way to monitor diabetic patients