Updated April 16, 2008

Talking Meters
What’s New?

by Ann S. Williams, Ph.D., R.N., C.D.E.

Prodigy Audio, Prodigy Autocode, and Prodigy Voice
Size of meter: 3.80" x 1.80" x 1.00" (Prodigy Audio and Prodigy Autocode) and 3.50" x 2.00" x 0.80" (Prodigy Voice): small enough to be easily carried in a pocket or purse.
Cost of meter: About $30 for the Prodigy Audio and Prodigy Autocode; about $85 for the Prodigy Voice.
Meter and strip availability: The meter and strips are widely available through durable medical equipment companies and suppliers of accessible equipment for people with visual impairment.
Clarity of the meter's voice: Clear, easy to understand.
Language availability: English or Spanish.
Volume: Can be adjusted. Only the Prodigy Voice has an earphone jack to allow private use in public spaces.
Repairs: Voice and meter are one entity, so if either malfunctioned it would be repaired by the same distributor.
Size of the strips: about 1.30" x 0.30".
Ease of handling strips: Easy to handle for most people. Some people with dexterity problems may have difficulty.
Insertion: The insertion end has squared corners, and the end that sticks out of the meter has rounded corners. (See “Strips: Which End Is Which?”") The strip is easy to insert nonvisually. Although it can be inserted upside down, doing so does not turn on the meter.
Accessible instructions: No audio instructions are provided with the Prodigy Audio and Prodigy Autocode meters: The voice guides the user through the steps for monitoring, but instructions for other meter functions such as coding or changing the volume are not available in a nonvisual format. The Prodigy Voice, however, talks the user through all set-ups and steps.
Coding: Coding is required for the Prodigy Audio, and the code number is not available nonvisually. Coding is not necessary for the Prodigy Autocode or the Prodigy Voice.
Size of blood drop: 0.6 microliters.
Placement of blood drop: The strip pulls in the blood drop through a tiny opening that is easy to locate at the end of the strip. However, for a user who has very low or no vision, remembering where the blood drop is on the finger and applying it to the strip can be difficult. (See “Placing Blood Accurately on the Strip” for more details.)
Time for results to appear: 6 seconds.
Results: Voiced clearly. Only the Prodigy Voice features a repeat button that will repeat results.
Meter's memory size: Can store up to 450 memory results, including the date and time of each reading.
Memory accessibility: Readings stored in memory are displayed only on the screen in the Prodigy Audio and Prodigy Autocode models. The Prodigy Voice model will talk users through audible averages and memory records with date and time.
Computer interface: The distributor has free software available on its Web site. Data stored in the meter memory can be uploaded to a computer via a purchased cable. However, the software program is not accessible with a computer screen reader.
Extras: The meter gives the room temperature during the startup procedure.

SensoCard Plus
Size of meter: 3.40" x 2.00" x 0.60".
Cost of the meter: Not yet available in the United States as of this writing. The system is expected to cost approximately $200.
Meter and strip availability: Only available outside the United States until it receives approval from the Food and Drug Administration. The distributor is BBI Healthcare (see “Resources”).
Clarity of the voice: The voice is clear and easy to understand.
Available languages: English (with a British accent) or German.
Volume: Cannot be adjusted. Does not have an earphone to allow private use in public spaces.
Repairs: The voice and meter are one entity, so if either malfunctioned it would be repaired by the same distributor.
Size of the strips: 1.10" x 0.30".
Ease of handling strips: Easy to handle for most people. Some people with dexterity problems may have difficulty.
Insertion of strips: The insertion end has squared corners. The blood application end is angled with a blunt tip. (See “Strips: Which End Is Which?”) To insert nonvisually, it is important to determine which side should face up. A blind user can do this by feeling the insertion end of the strip between a thumbnail and fingernail. The side that has a ridge should face up. This is important, because if a strip is inserted upside down, the meter turns on and gives the prompt for blood application. However, it will not give a reading with an upside-down strip.
Accessible instructions: Audio instructions in American English are planned for the U.S. introduction of this meter.
Coding: Needs to be coded for each container of strips. This can be accomplished nonvisually using a code card included with the strips or visually by pressing buttons.
Size of blood drop: 0.5 microliters.
Placement of blood drop: The strip pulls in the blood drop through a tiny opening that is easy to locate at the end of the strip. However, for a user who has very low or no vision, remembering where the blood drop is on the finger and applying it to the strip can be difficult. (See “Placing Blood Accurately on the Strip” for more details.)
Time results to appear: 5 seconds.
Results: The meter reads the result clearly, and the result can be repeated if necessary.
Meter's memory size: 500 readings with dates and times.
Memory accessibility: The memory is fully accessible through the speech function.
Computer interface: The data from the meter can be uploaded to a computer using an infrared adapter and program available from the distributor.

Also in this article:
Insurance Coverage for Talking Meters
Resources
Strips: Which End is Which?

Dr. Williams has been a diabetes educator for 20 years and for most of those years has worked in programs designed specifically to serve people with visual disabilities.

More articles on Blood Glucose Monitoring

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