Knowledge and Barriers to Insulin Therapy among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients from their Perspective

Due to the progressive nature of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), insulin therapy will almost always be needed to maintain appropriate glycemic control in the majority of patients. Insulin therapy is unfortunately not implemented right away. Beginning insulin therapy is made more difficult by a number of patient misconceptions and erroneous ideas. To study the barriers and perceptions to insulin therapy in type 2 diabetes patients from their perspective. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from March – September 2023 among 220 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients presenting in the endocrine outpatient department (OPD) at a tertiary healthcare center. A questionnaire inquiring about demographic characteristics, the status of insulin therapy, barriers to insulin therapy, and knowledge about insulin therapy for T2DM was administered during face-to-face interviews.

The study included 220 participants; the majority were from the age group 45–60 years (62.72%), females (50.90%), illiterate (20.90%), employed (58.18%), monthly income above 5000 (89.09%), duration of treatment with 2 or more drugs above 5 years (80.90%), and less than 10 years of insulin added to the treatment regimen (67.72%). The commonest barrier to insulin therapy is that it can cause blindness, cardiac arrest, and amputation, followed by a negative impact on working efficiency (70%). Seventy percent thought that insulin had a negative impact on social relationships and a fear of injection. Regarding the use of insulin, patients have a variety of worries and attitudes. Lack of knowledge about the benefits and adverse effects of using insulin, as well as misconceptions about these topics, appear to be important deterrents for diabetes patients from initiating this therapy.