DOC News December 1, 2007
Volume 4 Number 12 p. 11
© 2007 American Diabetes Association
New Survey Tool Can Gauge Resistance to Insulin Therapy
A group of investigators in Germany has devised and validated a 14-item
questionnaire that measures type 2 diabetes patients' willingness to begin
insulin therapy.
In the study, supported by Pfizer, researchers tested a 34-item
questionnaire on a sample of 448 insulinnaïve people with type 2 diabetes
and found that 14 questions in five general areas accounted for about 75% of
the variance in patients' willingness to start insulin therapy.
The questions concerned fears of injection and self-testing, expectations
regarding positive insulin-related outcomes, expected hardships from insulin
therapy, stigmatization related to insulin injections, and fear of
hypoglycemia.
The researchers tested and validated the list of 14 items—dubbed the
Barriers to Insulin Treatment Questionnaire—in another sample of 449
people with type 2 diabetes, who were also insulin-naïve and were on oral
drug therapy or a dietary regimen to control their diabetes. According to the
researchers, all participants had glycated hemoglobin (A1C) levels that
suggested a need for stepped-up intervention, "including insulin
treatment." The researchers claim the survey is easy to administer and
recommend its use in research and in clinical settings to determine if
patients are ready for insulin therapy.
Petrak F, Stridde E, Leverkus F, et al.: Development and
validation of a new measure to evaluate psychological resistance to insulin
therapy. Diabetes Care 30:2199–2204, 2007.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
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