Many patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) require insulin therapy to achieve and maintain glycemic control.1 Family physicians provide most of the care for these patients and are usually the first point of contact in the insulin conversation. Therefore, it is important that family physicians have the knowledge and skills to initiate and titrate insulin, and any additional tools they can use to assist them in the process would be beneficial. In this article, we describe a practical and educational tool to aid primary care physicians and diabetes specialists in insulin initiation and titration in patients with T2DM.
Barriers to insulin initiation
Optimizing glycemic control by starting insulin therapy can be delayed owing to a number of real and perceived barriers on the part of the patient, the health care provider, and the health care system.2 Patients often perceive insulin initiation as a failure3 in their management of diabetes, leading to self-blame and feelings of guilt and anxiety. Patients are also often deterred by the perceived inconvenience and lack of portability of insulin.4 Other patient and physician barriers include the fear of hypoglycemia, fear of weight gain, lack of understanding of the need for insulin, discomfort with insulin dosing and titration, and lack of time and resources, to name a few.
Identifying potential barriers and addressing concerns through counseling (including education about modern insulin-delivery devices) might improve patient acceptance.4,5 An interprofessional approach can facilitate this transition to insulin therapy through education and empowerment of the patient to engage in self-management. Fear of hypoglycemia can be addressed by recognizing and modifying risk factors for hypoglycemia, such as type and timing of insulin, missed meals, alcohol intake, and physical activity. Weight gain can be minimized through an interprofessional approach, promoting regular exercise, modifying diet, and selecting an appropriate insulin regimen. Lack of understanding of the need for insulin can be addressed through proper education about the benefits of improved glycemic control, including reduced microvascular and macrovascular complications.6 As for the barrier of discomfort with insulin dosing and titration, the insulin prescription pad (Figures 1 and 2)7 can serve as an educational and functional tool.
Insulin-specific prescription pad: Front page.
Canadian Diabetes Association.7 Reproduced with permission from the Ontario College of Family Physicians Insulin Prescription Tool and the New Brunswick Diabetes Task Group.
Insulin-specific prescription pad: Back page.
Canadian Diabetes Association.7 Reproduced with permission from the Ontario College of Family Physicians Insulin Prescription Tool and the New Brunswick Diabetes Task Group.
Insulin prescription pad
The insulin-specific prescription pad (Figures 1 and 2),7 developed by the Canadian Diabetes Association and adapted from the Insulin Prescription Tool of the Ontario College of Family Physicians and the New Brunswick Diabetes Task Group, can be found at the Canadian Diabetes Association website (guidelines.diabetes.ca) and can be used free of charge. This tool is both educational and practical, facilitating the process of insulin initiation and titration.
Front page
The front page of the tool is the prescription component (Figure 1).7 To begin, a practitioner chooses the type of insulin—each section represents a type of insulin (basal, bolus, premixed). Then the practitioner selects a specific brand of insulin—manufacturer names are presented in alphabetical order and divided into columns. After selecting the specific insulin and delivery method (vial, cartridge, or prefilled pen device), the practitioner then completes the starting dose and titration schedule according to the template provided. With this tool, the physician can prescribe not only the type of insulin but also the pen device and other supplies, such as pen needles, test strips, and lancets, that are required when initiating therapy. This page can be maintained on file to monitor changes in insulin requirements and can serve as a quick guide to monitoring trends in insulin requirements.
Back page
The back of the insulin prescription pad (Figure 2)7 provides information on the 3 commonly used insulin regimens in patients with T2DM: basal, basal-bolus, and premixed insulin. With each regimen, recommendations are made with respect to target levels, starting doses, appropriate titration doses, and timing. Dosing and titration are further explained with example cases in the right-hand column.
It is often preferable to start with basal insulin because it is simple to use, causes less weight gain, and is associated with a reduced risk of hypoglycemia compared with premixed or basal-bolus regimens. Insulin combined with oral antihyperglycemic agents compared with insulin alone has similar effects on glycemic control and better effects on weight gain, lower insulin requirements, and hypoglycemia.2 The tool provides guidance on which non-insulin antihyperglycemic agents should be stopped for each regimen. Continuing metformin therapy, unless contraindicated, is encouraged to allow for improved glycemic control and less risk of weight gain and hypoglycemia. Further glucose lowering can also be achieved with combination therapy with dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors and glucagonlike peptide 1 receptor agonists. Sulfonylurea therapy can be continued with basal insulin use, but stopped when bolus insulin is added.8
The final row of the back page provides recommendations for the selection of a pen needle.
In practice
Using the insulin prescription pad in our practice has removed the uncertainty around selecting a starting insulin regimen and has provided a rational approach to titrating insulin therapy. Owing to its function as a prescription that can be completed with a few check marks and numbers, it has also increased efficiency and clarity when prescribing insulin types and the required supplies.
The insulin prescription tool is an evidence-based,9 effective, and time-saving means of starting insulin therapy in patients with T2DM. With its rational approach to titrating insulin therapy, the tool can be adapted to any patient, and patients themselves can titrate their own therapy with support from their health care providers. This tool is also great for teaching trainees. We hope that this insulin prescription tool will ease the initiation of insulin therapy and will facilitate the process of choosing an appropriate insulin regimen.
Footnotes
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Competing interests
Dr Cheng has received honoraria for speaking at or attending advisory board meetings of the following: AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, Sanofi, Janssen, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Servier, and Takeda.
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We encourage readers to share some of their practice experience: the neat little tricks that solve difficult clinical situations. Praxis articles can be submitted online at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/cfp or through the CFP website (www.cfp.ca) under “Authors and Reviewers.”
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