Diabetes and medical devices: which device for which patient

IntroductionDiabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin. Insulin therapy is a pharmaceutical treatment used to lower blood glucose in all patients with diabetes type 1 (T1D) and type 2 (T2D). Insulin therapy can be managed by different medical devices technologies such as insulin pumps and insulin pens.AimTo draw the profile of patients in insulin therapy with insulin pumps and insulin pens by identifying the variables that influence the choice of two different medical devices.Tools and MethodsWe developed a questionnaire to rate the lifestyles of these patients. Explorative Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis was performed to define and to confirm the factors that describe the profiles of these patients. Regression Models were performed to estimate the effects of observed variables on the choice of medical device and its cost.ResultGeneral Characteristics, Employment Information and Eating Habit are resulted the factors that define the characteristics of people with T1D and T2D, independently by medical devices used.ConclusionsThe results provide supporting evidence that are useful to the appropriate choice of medical device for insulin treatment.Therefore, next development is to make the results more generalizable in order that they can be used by policy makers in healthcare for a better management of resources and the best appropriateness of the choice of two different medical devices.