RESUMO
BACKGROUND: While health care providers (HCPs) are generally aware of the challenges concerning insulin adherence in adults with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes (T2D), data guiding identification of insulin nonadherence and understanding of injection patterns have been limited. Hence, the aim of this study was to examine detailed injection data and provide methods for assessing different aspects of basal insulin adherence. METHOD: Basal insulin data recorded by a connected insulin pen and prescribed doses were collected from 103 insulin-treated patients (aged ≥18 years) with T2D from an ongoing clinical trial (NCT04981808). We categorized the data and analyzed distributions of correct doses, increased doses, reduced doses, and missed doses to quantify adherence. We developed a three-step model evaluating three aspects of adherence (overall adherence, adherence distribution, and dose deviation) offering HCPs a comprehensive assessment approach. RESULTS: We used data from a connected insulin pen to exemplify the use of the three-step model to evaluate overall, adherence, adherence distribution, and dose deviation using patient cases. CONCLUSION: The methodology provides HCPs with detailed access to previously limited clinical data on insulin administration, making it possible to identify specific nonadherence behavior which will guide patient-HCP discussions and potentially provide valuable insights for tailoring the most appropriate forms of support.
RESUMO
AIMS: This systematic review aims to identify current methods used for the assessment of insulin adherence in adults with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes. The primary goal is to offer recommendations for clinical practice to improve quantification of adherence. METHODS: The review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 and registered at PROSPERO (CRD42022334134). PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched on 15 November 2022 and included three blocks: Type 2 diabetes, insulin, and adherence. We considered primary full-text studies describing an assessment method and a threshold for assessment of insulin adherence in adults with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes. RESULTS: A final sample of 50 studies were included. Identified methods fell into four categories: self-report, pharmacy claims, inulin count, and data from an insulin pen device. Commonly reported methods included: The Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, the (adjusted) Medication Possession Ratio, and the Proportions of Days Covered. A threshold of <80% was used to define non-adherence in nearly half of the studies. Yet, several thresholds were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Most available methods for assessing insulin adherence in adults with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes are severely limited in providing in-depth insights into timing, dosing size, injection patterns, and adherence behavior. However, recognizing diverse types of non-adherence is crucial, as they denote unique behavioral entities requiring targeted intervention. Employing insulin injection data (e.g., from a smart insulin pen cap) to underlie an assessment method is a potential new approach to objectively assess insulin timing and dosing adherence in adults with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes.
