Page 26 - The SA Journal Diabetes & Vascular Disease Volume 9 No 4 (November 2012)

SA JOURNAL OF DIABETES & VASCULAR DISEASE
168 VOLUME 9 NUMBER 4 • NOVEMBER 2012
Hands on
A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO STARTING
PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES
ON INSULIN
S Afr J Diabetes Vasc Dis 2012;
9: 168–170
Bev Cox
Clinical Lead, Education for Health, Warwick;
Nurse Practitioner, Coventry T he prevalence of type 2 diabetes is rising
and people are developing the condition at
an earlier age. Type 2 diabetes becomes
progressively more difficult to control over time, so
many people need to start on insulin therapy as the
pancreas is no longer able to meet the body’s insulin
requirements on its own. In this article, we look at the
practical issues involved in helping a patient to start
on insulin therapy for their diabetes.
Starting on insulin can be a daunting prospect for
most patients. Many people have a dread of insulin
because they see it as the ‘last resort’. However, the
majority of patients feel considerably better once they
start on insulin and are surprised and relieved that it
is, in fact, much easier than they expected. Primary
care is the ideal setting for insulin initiation, whether
it is carried out by specialist diabetes nurses or by
practice nurses who have received further training in
this area, because it provides easier access for pa-
tients together with continuity of care from someone
they know.
Courses on insulin initiation, such as the Merit
course and the Insulin for Life course (see More in-
formation), can ensure that nurses have the required
expertise and competence to undertake insulin ini-
tiation in the community, making this service more
accessible than may previously have been the case.
Anyone wishing to initiate insulin therapy in primary
care should ensure that they have established their
competency by taking one of these courses, or some
other suitable course, and this article is not intended
as a substitute for proper training.
Originally in Br J Prim Care Nursing
2009