Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Susan C. Bolge, PhD¹, Anju Morarka, MPH², and Yuri Koo, JD MPH². (1) Consumer Health Sciences, 116 Village Blvd., Suite 200, Princeton, NJ 08540, 609-924-4455, susan.bolge@chsinternational.com, (2) Pfizer Inc, 205 E 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017

Introduction: Despite the vast therapeutic options available to diabetes patients, many do not achieve adequate glycemic control (ADA Guideline of HbA1c <7%). One reason may be that some patients tend to delay the initiation of insulin. We examined the characteristics of patients who delayed the initiation of insulin and their reasons for delaying.

Methods: Data were obtained from Wave 11 of the Consumer Health Sciences Diabetes Project, a semi-annual longitudinal study of diabetes patients. We examined patients who answered yes and no to the question of “Did you delay beginning insulin treatment (i.e. did you postpone insulin treatment after your doctor recommended it)?”

Results: There were 211 patients in the database who delayed the initiation of insulin and 466 patients who did not delay. Demographic differences between the two groups were minimal. The only notable difference was that the delaying group had lower household incomes than those who did not delay. The delaying group was more likely to have prescription drug coverage, so the cost of antidiabetic medications was not likely to be a primary factor. The reasons for delay of insulin were: trying other treatments (51%), dislike needles (41%), control with diet and exercise (30%), inconvenience (20%), didn't think necessary (17%), embarrassment (7%), and other (10%).

Conclusion: Delaying the initiation of insulin may be one of the reasons that many patients do not have adequate glycemic control. These findings suggest there is a need for educational programs that promote earlier initiation of insulin to improve glucose control.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• List 7 reasons why patients with diabetes delay the initiation of insulin treatment.
• Recognize that delaying the initiation of insulin may be lead to inadequate glycemic control in patients with diabetes.
• Recognize that there is a need for educational programs that promote earlier initiation of insulin to improve glucose control in patients with diabetes.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered