Optical recognition of numerical characters in digital images of glucometers

Abstract

The present project develops an informatics application oriented towards the Optical Recognition of Characters (OCR) that enables the automatic recognition and generation of a sequence of numerical characters based on real digital images of a conventional glucometer. The readings are taken from a diabetic patient and are presented in numerical characters varying between 50 and 600 mg per deciliter (mg/dl). The digitalization of this information will allow the identification and storage of data for its posterior statistic processing. Such data are crucial in controlling a patient’s diabetes since the endocrinologist requires a log with 5 daily measurements during a 1 to 3 month period. In general, the glucometers designed in the last 10 years do not include a data acquisition system. Hence, designing an app that allows both the patient and the specialist to gather the data statistically and graphically facilitates the prescription of medicine and making decisions regarding treatment.