Perceptions of insulin therapy in people with type 2 diabetes and physicians: a cross-sectional survey conducted in France.

Objective: To evaluate perceptions of people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and treating physicians living in France toward insulin therapy.

Methods: Adults with T2D receiving oral glucose-lowering treatment alone (INS) or basal insulin for ≥2 months (INS) completed an online cross-sectional survey comprising 39 questions, including some regarding perceptions and fears of insulin therapy. Physicians were interviewed by telephone using eleven similar questions. The survey was designed by French clinicians experienced in treating diabetes and conducted under the auspices of an independent market-research agency.

Results: The questionnaire was completed by 590 adults with T2D (two-thirds INS) and 130 physicians (65 diabetologists/endocrinologists, 65 general practitioners). INS adults reported fewer negative feelings and more positive feelings than INS adults. Two-thirds of INS adults reported that transitioning to insulin therapy was less difficult than expected. Overall, 44% of INS adults and 26% of physicians reported a fear of diabetic complications as being important, and 80% of physicians and 21% of INS adults considered injections to be a major patient fear.

Conclusion: Most people with T2D reported that transitioning to insulin therapy was less difficult than they had feared. People with T2D and physicians exhibited differing perceptions regarding the transition. Reasons for the apprehension surrounding the transition to insulin therapy in people with T2D need to be better identified. Support from insulin-treated peers may enable this transition to occur with fewer anxieties in insulin-naïve people with T2D.