Improving Patient Experience With Insulin Infusion Sets: Practical Guidelines and Future Directions

Purpose Insulin infusion sets (IISs) are an essential component of safe and effective insulin pump therapy. Establishing best practices for their use has been impeded by a lack of formal study and limited resources for clinician and patient education. Recent innovations in IIS science promise to change this status quo by increasing awareness of such problems as unexplained hyperglycemia and infusion set occlusion. Methods In August 2015, a panel of diabetologists and certified diabetes educators from various disciplines was convened to reconsider IIS-related complications of pump therapy, to better characterize infusion set factors affecting patient experience, and to update priorities for optimizing current technologies. Actionable guidelines were provided for addressing common issues, including skin reactions, site rotation and set changes, dislodgment of the infusion set, and partial or complete blockage of the catheter. These issues may underlie episodes of IIS failure and/or unexplained hyperglycemia. Conclusion Development of practical tools and standardized guidelines for empowering patients to prevent, diagnose, and troubleshoot IIS problems that contribute to unexplained hyperglycemia will be necessary to realize the full benefit of insulin pump therapy along the continuum of diabetes education.