Glycemic control is so critical for our diabetic patients because every major study published has shown convincingly that lower hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) equals a reduction in diabetes-related complications.1 For most patients though, the only way to prevent or minimize these complications is to use insulin therapy because of the progressive nature of type 2 diabetes.
For decades, insulin was delivered only via vials and syringes with larger bore needles that caused a lot of pain. Many people with diabetes still believe that these needles are still large and painful, but in 2008, this could not be further from the truth.
There are numerous reasons why using pen devices make a whole lot of sense. Compliance with treatment is better because a pen device is easier to carry around, easy to use, provides greater dose accuracy, and is more satisfactory to patients as compared with a syringe. Injecting with devices makes the process discreet, and the overall cost of managing diabetes is also reduced.
The surprising fact is that among industrialized countries, the United States ranks last in terms of pen usage by diabetic individuals, even though the use of pen is increasing.