EVALUATION OF THE ADMINISTRATION AND SELF-MONITORING OF INSULIN THERAPY AMONG MOROCCAN DIABETIC PATIENTS

Hicham Fettah*, Mohammed Reda Sefrioui, Chaima Cherkaoui, Adnane Benmoussa, Soufiane Derraji

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Insulin injection is an invasive therapeutic method that diabetic patients use on a daily basis. This is why a good knowledge of good administration practices as well as that of self-monitoring constitutes the basis of this therapy. The objective of this work is to evaluate the administration modalities and self-monitoring of insulin therapy in patients with types 1 and 2 diabetes. Material and Method: A three-month prospective study, from 20 September to 20 December 2017, was carried out using a questionnaire comprising 2 grids and a section for collecting data about 100 patients with diabetes types 1 and 2. Data analysis was performed using Excel. Results: The 100 patients recruited were between 5 and 82 years old and had an average of 47 years. 9 patients had type 1 (9%) and 91 type 2 (91%). An overall response rate of 100% to questionnaire items was achieved. For the assessment of insulin administration methods: 96% changed injection sites, 96% reused the needle, 95% kept insulin cool, 90% rolled insulin vial before use, 72% reused the needle for 3 days, 71 % purged the syringe or pen, and 57% injected at 90°. This grid resulted in a usage score of 6.32 /10. The evaluation of blood glucose self-monitoring showed: 100% recapped the vial of strips after use, 100% checked that the glucometer was functioning properly, 98.92% changed the sampling site, 96.77% checked their blood sugar before administering insulin, 94.62% washed hands before self-pricking, 93.55% checked their blood sugar before meals, 80.65% checked the expiration date of test strips, 47.32% took daily measurements, and 43% reused single-use lancets. This grid resulted in a self-monitoring score of 8.52/10. Conclusion: This study revealed that the methods of administering insulin, were not properly mastered in practice. On the contrary, patients self-monitored their blood glucose correctly except for the lancet reuse practice. A therapeutic patient education program should be incorporated by the media and health professionals to enable patients with diabetes to manage their illness properly.

Keywords: Self-administration - Self-monitoring - Insulin therapy – Diabetes - Patient therapeutic education.