Errors in insulin administration reported by people with diabetes mellitus at home.

Abstract

Objective: to identify errors related to insulin administration reported by people with diabetes mellitus at home.

Method: cross-sectional study, conducted at an endocrinology service in Fortaleza, from August 2022 to February 2023. 106 people with diabetes mellitus and insulin users participated. A questionnaire with 52 items containing sociodemographic and clinical data and information on insulin self-administration at home was used during the interview. To test the association between performance variables, the Pearson qui-square test (p≤0.05) and odds ratio were performed.

Results: the main errors identified were: not knowing the correct time to administer insulin before meals (51.9%), not removing insulin from the refrigerator before administration (61.3%), not disinfecting rubber stoppers of vials or pens (55.7%), not removing air bubbles from syringes (51.9%) and reusing needles (77.4%). People aged >60 years, with comorbidities, dyslipidemia, hypertension and using human insulin showed a significant association (p≤0.05) with unsatisfactory performance.

Conclusion: the identified errors were: lack of knowledge about the correct timing for insulin administration, not taking insulin out of the refrigerator before application, not disinfecting the rubber stoppers of vials, not removing air bubbles from syringes, and reusing needles.