Effectiveness, safety, and parental satisfaction of insulin pump therapy versus multiple-dose injection therapy in preschool children with type 1 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Despite the increasing demand for continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) or insulin pump therapy in preschool children with Type 1 diabetes (T1D), reports on its advantages over conventional methods, particularly multiple dose injection (MDI) therapy, are scant. Objectives: We aimed to investigate the effectiveness, safety, and parental satisfaction of using CSII compared to MDI in preschool children with T1D. This study also seeks to establish criteria to help clinicians choose patients most suitable for CSII. Methods: Relevant terms based on the study outcomes were used to search electronic databases and manual search for the literature. Selected articles were then thoroughly reviewed and evaluated. Results: The effect in the meta-analysis showed a small, nonsignificant positive effect on HbA1c of the CSII compared to the MDI insulin intervention method (mean Cohen's d effect size = 0.25, Standard Error = 0.18, P = 0.16 (n = 127)) and a small, nonsignificant negative effect on safety of the CSII compared to the MDI insulin intervention method (mean Cohen's d effect size = −0.26, SE = 0.36, P = 0.47 [n = 70]). For parental satisfaction, data were small and therefore inappropriate for meta-analysis. Conclusion: For preschool children, the effectiveness and safety of insulin pump therapy compared with MDI therapy was considered statistically nonsignificant. All preschool children with T1D can be considered potentially eligible candidates for insulin pump therapy. Suggested selection criteria to apply when considering preschool children for insulin pump therapy were presented.