Prescribe Insulin? Nah! Too Much Trouble

By Jan Chait Taking insulin is too much of a burden for people with Type 2 diabetes, say 66% of primary care doctors surveyed at one hospital in Pennsylvania. People with Type 2 diabetes believe taking insulin means they've failed to manage their condition, 69% of primary care docs opined. Glycemic control is better with insulin than with oral drugs (88%) and beginning insulin earlier rather than later can prevent diabetic complications (75%). But wait! There are all these different insulin products: It's confusing (53%) to prescribe. The regimen is too complicated (60%) for people with Type 2 to understand. Insulin is too expensive (16%) for Type 2s. Insulin is too time-consuming (38%). For Type 2s. Funny. I don't hear any of that about prescribing insulin for people with Type 1. But I digress. The data came from an abstract presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists that ended recently in Phoenix, AZ. Whine, whine, whine. "I know you're out of control and at high risk for complications, but it's so difficult for me to figure things out and I just know you won't like taking insulin, so let's not bother with it for now." Is that good medicine? If you don't have the time or the knowledge to work with someone on an insulin regimen, shouldn't you send that person to a specialist? No. Wait. Only 6% of the respondents in the survey believe endocrinologists are the only ones who should manage insulin therapy, but that's not the only an...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - Category: Diabetes Authors: Source Type: blogs