Evaluation of Patient Satisfaction After Using Prefilled Insulin Pen in Real Life in Lithuania

An important aspect of diabetes care and glycemic control is the delivery of insulin. The method by which insulin is administered has been shown to impact patient acceptability of insulin therapy and quality of life. ¹ A multicenter, observational survey was performed to evaluate patients’ satisfaction with the prefilled SoloSTAR® insulin pen (Sanofi) (Insulin Pen) in a real-life situation in Lithuania, with special focus on comparison of satisfaction in various patients groups. A total of 393 patients (≥18 years) with type 1 or 2 diabetes and current users of Insulin Pen with at least 3 months experience were asked to evaluate their pen. Survey participants completed Patient Questionnaires containing questions about previously used insulin pen, current insulin treatment, technical aspects of the current Insulin Pen handling, and if training on its use was provided.

Patients were asked to evaluate their satisfaction with Insulin Pen device by rating individual pen features on a 5-point scale, ranging from 1 (excellent) to 5 (very poor). Other ratings included ease of selecting a dose, ease of correcting a misdialed dose, ease of reading an insulin dose, ease of feeling and hearing dialing clicks, force or effort needed to inject insulin, smoothness or gentleness of injection, ease of knowing that injection was completed or desired dose was delivered, ease of reading how much insulin remained in the cartridge. Patients also compared ease of use and ease of injection of a dose of Insulin Pen and the previously used insulin pen on a 5-point scale, ranging from 1 (much easier) to 5 (much more difficult). There were questions about intents to continue using Insulin Pen, whether the patient would recommend it, and patient preference for Insulin Pen versus other insulin pens.

On a 5-point scale, ranging mean ± SD rating of patient satisfaction with Insulin Pen was 1.4 ± 0.5. The proportion of patients, who were satisfied with each feature of Insulin Pen (ie, rated it as good or excellent), ranged from 89.3% to 96.7%. After face-to-face training on the use of Insulin Pen, 94.0% (95% CI 91.6-96.4) of patients were fully confident in the use of the pen. Of survey participants, 30% had visual impairments, 23% had manual dexterity problems, and 35% reported other restrictions, but their satisfaction using Insulin Pen was comparable to that of those who had no impairments. Insulin Pen was preferred by nearly 80% of patients over their prior insulin pen. Similar results demonstrate other studies. In a large observational survey in Australia, Insulin Pen was well accepted, with more than 95% of participants reporting that they were either very satisfied or satisfied with the device, irrespective of diabetes type or prior device experience. ² Insulin Pen was also well accepted in a similar observational European and Canadian survey involving more than 6000 patients. ³ An open-label study that assessed usability, pen features, and patient preferences for 4 commercially available prefilled insulin pens provided evidence that Insulin Pen was preferred by more patients with diabetes to compare to other pens. ⁴

High satisfaction and confidence in managing Insulin Pen have been demonstrated in a wide range of patients with diabetes.