Perceptions and attitudes are primary contributors to insulin delivery system satisfaction in people with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND This study identifies factors that influence satisfaction with an insulin delivery system (IDS). Knowledge of such factors could help identify individuals who would benefit from innovative IDS. METHODS Individuals with type 2 diabetes who use insulin, recruited from a general and chronic illness panel, participated in a web-based survey that included questions about demographics, self-reported diagnoses and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), current IDS used, insulin therapy attitudes, current IDS features, and satisfaction with IDS. Univariate analyses identified variables associated with IDS satisfaction (P < 0.05); those variables were entered into stepwise linear regression analyses with IDS satisfaction as the dependent variable. RESULTS Six hundred sixty-seven individuals with type 2 diabetes participated (mean age, 57 years; 52% female; 88% Caucasian; 73% vial/syringe users, 27% insulin pen users). IDS satisfaction was associated (P < 0.05) with gender, health status, HbA1c, self-reported comorbidity, insulin therapy attitudes, IDS type, and evaluation of IDS features. Among individuals who reported their HbA1c (n = 438), the best predictors of IDS satisfaction were perceived effectiveness and value of insulin therapy, evaluation of IDS activity interference, and commitment to insulin therapy (R2 = 0.49, P < 0.001). Among all participants (n = 667), a second regression analysis that employed a variable representing report of HbA1c found the best predictors of IDS satisfaction included those in the first analysis with the addition of gender, report of HbA1c, and evaluation of IDS ease of use. These variables provided additional variance (R2 = 0.56, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS In people with type 2 diabetes, positive perceptions and attitudes about insulin therapy have greater influence than the type of IDS used on IDS satisfaction.