One in three patients fail to take insulin as prescribed, survey says

EASD Annual Meeting

A new survey uncovered challenges that patients and physicians face in insulin therapy.

According to the results, more than one in three patients with diabetes miss an insulin dose or do not adhere to their prescribed insulin regimen. In fact, 77% of physicians estimate that this number may be as high as six doses missed.

The Global Attitudes of Patients and Physicians in Insulin Therapy (GAPP) survey queried more than 2,700 patients and physicians in eight countries.

Patient responses revealed that four in 10 struggle to effectively control their blood glucose. However, a significant proportion of patients do not reach blood glucose targets, 88% of physicians said. The main reasons for missed insulin doses were a change in normal routine, a busy schedule, forgetfulness and fear of hypoglycemia.

More than half of the physicians queried said their patients find it hard to comply with their regimens — in particular managing the number of injections and the strict time constraints of insulin regimens.

More than two-thirds (67%) of patients taking insulin were concerned about a future hypoglycemia event; 74% of physicians said they would treat closer to recommended targets if there was not the fear of major hypoglycemic events.

The survey also revealed that nine in 10 patients desire less frequent doses of insulin to effectively manage their glucose levels. Sixty-seven percent reporting feeling that their diabetes has controlled their life since initiation of insulin. Conversely, the survey indicated that one-third of physicians are dissatisfied with current regimens’ ability to fit into patient lifestyles.

“It appears that busy lifestyles and difficulty in adhering to prescribed regimens are key contributing factors to poor glycemic control,”Luigi Meneghini, MD, associate director at the Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said in a press release. “These results are consistent across countries and it is encouraging to see that physicians understand and empathize with the issues people with diabetes face.”

The survey was funded by Novo Nordisk and was presented at the 46th Annual European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting.

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