children with DIABETES - SweetSheet Software for the Macintosh



		SweetSheet Software for the Macintosh

Overview
SweetSheet is a full-featured Mac program for uploading and analyzing data from Lifescan One Touch II, One Touch Profile, SureStep, FastTake, and OneTouch Ultra glucose meters. It works with virtually all Macintosh computers and all operating systems from 7.0 to 9.1. Dates and daily events can be filtered in any combination to plot time line glucose plots, summary histograms, and averages for all events. This update (Version 2.1) makes SweetSheet compatible with the new OneTouch Ultra meter. Requires Hypercard or Hypercard Player, the latter of which comes standard with any Mac (often in the Apple Extras folder of the System CD).
Uploading Data from the Meter

SweetSheet reads data directly from one-Touch meters using an inexpensive interface cable (available from Lifescan at 1-800 227-8862) and a common modem cable. Those with the newer USB Macs including the iMac, iBook, and G4 will also need a serial port adapter such at the Keyspan USP Twin Serial adapter. Follow the self-guiding instructions for setting up the meter by selecting Set Up Meter from the File Menu. Then select Upload Meter from the File menu and your data -- up to the 250 point capacity of the One-Touch Profile meter -- should appear in logbook form. Note that the data are most useful if you have marked each "event" or context ("Bedtime," "Pre Breakfast," etc.) on the meter when you take each sample.

Selecting Data

You then select the data you are interested in by dragging or shift-clicking the list. Alternatively, you can select a date range by double-clicking on beginning and end dates in a calendar windoid. Also, you can simply select all the data by choosing Select All from the Edit menu. Before analyzing your data, you should enter your name and the target range you have set for yourself for controlling your blood sugar.

Plotting Your Data

The most straight-forward view of your data is the glucose time line plot which simply charts the fluctuations of your sugar level over time, and computes the highs, and lows, average, standard deviation, and percent of the time you were within your target limits during the selected period. Clicking on a point gives the date, the time of day and context of the reading in a tiny windoid. Abbreviated labels and values can be turned on and off from within the chart window.

A summary chart lists the same statistics as the time line, but plots your sugar levels as a histogram, so you can see the central tendency of your blood sugar distribution. Clicking on a bar opens a windoid with the specific information about the data in that category.

Note that both the Time Line and Summary charts can be filtered to show only those events that interest you. In the example, the filter has been set to show only events before meals and at bedtime. Discontinuous filter choices can be made by command-clicking on each "event" individually.

Perhaps most helpful plot is the event averages chart, which shows how, on the average, your blood sugar has fluctuated throughout the day, and before, during and after events that you have marked on your meter. This is the way to find out what effect exercise has had on your blood sugar and at what time of day your glucose level is most likely to get out of control. Again, clicking on a bar opens a windoid with the specific information about the data in that category.

Finally, a calibration chart can be plotted which shows both your test solution readings and your check strip readings, simply to demonstrate that the meter checked out "OK" during the period in question. As before, clicking on a point gives specific details about the time of day and context of the reading in a tiny windoid.

Saving, Exporting, and Printing
Each time you read in data successfully, the current data in SweetSheet are overwritten. But the raw data can be saved in a file to be read in again later. Alternatively, the data can be saved in a much more readable text format, just like a logbook, to be loaded into your favorite word processor. In any case, remember that 250 data points still remain in your meter, assuming it is a One Touch Profile. Finally, anything that can be shown on the screen can be printed, including all charts and the logbook itself.

Download SweetSheet 2.1 (377 KB)
SweetSheet is written by Alaric Faulkner (Faulkner@maine.edu).

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Last Updated: Thu Aug 29 20:59:42 2002
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	The most straight-forward view of your data is the glucose time line plot which simply charts the fluctuations of your sugar level over time, and computes the highs, and lows, average, standard deviation, and percent of the time you were within your target limits during the selected period. Clicking on a point gives the date, the time of day and context of the reading in a tiny windoid. Abbreviated labels and values can be turned on and off from within the chart window.
	A summary chart lists the same statistics as the time line, but plots your sugar levels as a histogram, so you can see the central tendency of your blood sugar distribution. Clicking on a bar opens a windoid with the specific information about the data in that category.
	Note that both the Time Line and Summary charts can be filtered to show only those events that interest you. In the example, the filter has been set to show only events before meals and at bedtime. Discontinuous filter choices can be made by command-clicking on each "event" individually.
	Perhaps most helpful plot is the event averages chart, which shows how, on the average, your blood sugar has fluctuated throughout the day, and before, during and after events that you have marked on your meter. This is the way to find out what effect exercise has had on your blood sugar and at what time of day your glucose level is most likely to get out of control. Again, clicking on a bar opens a windoid with the specific information about the data in that category.
	Finally, a calibration chart can be plotted which shows both your test solution readings and your check strip readings, simply to demonstrate that the meter checked out "OK" during the period in question. As before, clicking on a point gives specific details about the time of day and context of the reading in a tiny windoid.