Investigating The Effect of of Pharmacist Educational Intervention on the Proper Use of Insulin Pen in Older Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Primary Health Care and Diabetic Centres in Makkah Al-Mukarramah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objective: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the fastest-growing health problems in the world, which is now
reaching an epidemic proportion in some countries. There were around 3,852,000 cases of diabetes in Saudi
Arabia in 2017. Geriatric patients are at particularly high risk, especially those who lack the knowledge of
self-care to control their blood glucose levels. When reviewing the literature, we did not find any focus on
educational interventions to reduce the errors related to the use of an insulin pen. Therefore, it is essential to
conduct research to measure these outcomes and apply the applicable intervention if needed. Aim: The aim
of this study was to evaluate the impact of pharmacist-conducted educational intervention on reducing the
errors related to inappropriate insulin pen use. Methods: A multicentred, prospective, before-and-after study
with an educational intervention component was carried out. The study was conducted on (n = 1500) elderly
type 2 diabetic patients. Results: The patients’ mean age was approximately 65.2 ± 3.5 years old with a male
to female ratio of 60:40. Around 95.5% of patients stated that they had received instructions for insulin pen
use from their physicians. The average duration of their diabetes was approximately 15 ± 2.8 years. After
giving complete instructions to the patients, we found an improvement in insulin pen use by approximately
30 %, and a significant decrease in the rate of errors. Conclusion: Pharmacists can play an important role in
the safety and efficiency of the use of insulin pens in elderly diabetic patients by decreasing the likelihood
of medication errors associated with them.