Method of ensuring date and time on a test meter is accurate
A method of operating a glucose test meter is provided. The method can be achieved by storing a plurality of glucose readings to a first memory of the test meter, each of the glucose readings having a time stamp and an order index, the time stamp comprising a date and a time when the glucose reading was performed, the order index indicating an order in which the plurality of glucose readings was saved to the first memory; determining whether successively saved glucose readings have time stamps in chronological order consistent with the order index; and indicating that the date and the time setting in the test meter is incorrect if there are successively saved glucose readings having time stamps inconsistent with the order index.
1. A method of operating a glucose test meter, the test meter including a housing, test strip port, microprocessor and a first display, in which the test strip port is disposed on the housing and configured to provide electrical signals representative of a glucose concentration from a blood sample on a test strip, and the microprocessor is coupled to the test strip port and a first memory, the method comprising:
measuring with the microprocessor a plurality of blood glucose concentration readings from blood samples with the glucose test meter;
storing with the microprocessor the plurality of glucose concentration readings to the first memory of the test meter, each of the glucose readings having a time stamp comprising a date and a time when the glucose concentration reading was performed,
generating with the microprocessor an order index and a time stamp index and in which the order index is defined upon a sequence when each of the plurality of glucose concentration readings was saved to the first memory, and the time stamp index is defined by a chronological listing of the time stamp wherein the order index in which each glucose concentration reading is saved to the first memory is independent of the time stamp for each glucose concentration reading;
determining with the microprocessor whether successively saved glucose concentration readings have time stamps in chronological order that are consistent with the order index; and
indicating with the microprocessor that the date and the time setting in the glucose test meter is incorrect if there are successively saved glucose concentration readings having time stamps inconsistent with the order index.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising sorting using the microprocessor the plurality of glucose concentration readings based on the order index before determining whether successively saved glucose concentration readings have time stamps in chronological order consistent with the order index.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a report having a plurality of glucose concentration readings and time stamps on a second display if all successively saved glucose concentration readings have time stamps consistent chronologically with the order index.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
calculating a difference between a date and a time from a first clock in the glucose test meter, and a date and a time from a second clock in a computer, and
providing a warning message indicating the date and the time in the first clock is incorrect, if the difference is greater than a pre-determined threshold.
5. The method of claim 4 further comprising
displaying the date and the time from the first clock in the glucose test meter on a second display; and
displaying a date and a time from the second clock in the computer on the second display.
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
establishing a communication of data between the glucose test meter and an external time reference source; and
synchronizing a first clock in the glucose test meter to the external time reference source.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the external time reference source is a web site having an accurate time setting.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the external time reference source is an atomic clock.
9. The method of claim 6 wherein the external time reference source is a second clock in a computer further comprising automatically synchronizing the first clock of the glucose test meter to the second clock of the computer every time the glucose test meter is connected to the computer.
10. A method of operating a diabetes management system having a computer, a test meter and at least one test strip, the test meter including a housing, test strip port, microprocessor and a first display, the computer including a computer processor and a computer memory, the test strip port is disposed on the housing and configured to provide electrical signals representative of a glucose concentration from a blood sample on a test strip, and the microprocessor is coupled to the test strip port and a memory for the test meter, the method comprising:
measuring with the microprocessor of the test meter a plurality of glucose concentration readings with the test meter;
storing with the microprocessor the plurality of glucose concentration readings to the meter memory of the test meter in an order index serially based on the sequence in which the glucose concentration readings are saved to the meter memory, each of the glucose readings having a time stamp comprising a date and a time when the glucose concentration reading was performed, wherein the order index in which a glucose concentration reading is saved to the first memory is independent of the time stamp of the glucose concentration reading;
transferring with the microprocessor the plurality of glucose concentration readings from the first memory of the test meter to the computer memory of a computer;
determining with the computer processor whether successively saved glucose concentration readings have time stamps in chronological order which are consistent with the order index; and
indicating with the microprocessor that a date and a time setting in the test meter is incorrect if there are successively saved glucose concentration readings having time stamps inconsistent with the order index.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of sorting the plurality of glucose concentration readings based on the order index before determining whether successively saved glucose concentration readings have time stamps consistent with a chronologically increasing order with respect to the order index.
12. The method of claim 10 further comprising providing a report having a plurality of glucose concentration readings and time stamps on the first display of the test meter if all successively saved glucose concentration readings have time stamps consistent with a chronologically increasing order with respect to the order index.
13. The method of claim 10 further comprising displaying the time and the date on a splash screen of the first display when powering on the test meter.
14. The method of claim 10 further comprising at least one icon to indicate an appropriate time.
15. The method of claim 10 further comprising continuously displaying the time and the date on the first display.
16. The method of claim 10 further comprising:
providing a user an option of inputting a flag indicating a pre or post-prandial glucose measurement; and
displaying the time and the date on the first display of the test meter when inputting the flag.
17. The method of claim 10 further comprising providing a message on the first display of the test meter to check the date and the time setting in the test meter for accuracy at a pre-determined time interval programmed into the test meter.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the pre-determined time interval is every week.
19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the pre-determined time interval is every month.
20. The method of claim 10 further comprising providing a message on the first display to check the date and the time setting for accuracy on a day for switching to daylight savings time.
21. The method of claim 10 further comprising providing a message on the first display of the test meter to check the date and the time setting in the test meter for accuracy when a user performs a test at a time interval in which a user has an average historical testing frequency below a pre-determined threshold.
22. The method of claim 10 further comprising providing a message on the first display of the test meter to check the date and the time setting in the test meter for accuracy when an amount of time has passed between two successive glucose measurements and the amount of time is greater than a pre-determined threshold.