Benefits of Insulin Pumps

Benefits of Insulin Pumps

The benefits of insulin pump therapy over multiple daily injections (MDI) are: 

• Predictability 

 MiniMed insulin pumps deliver insulin precisely and accurately in 0.05 or 0.1 unit increments, which is nearly impossible with traditional injection therapy

• Individualization

Insulin pump therapy allows users to program different basal profiles throughout the day. Insulin pump users typically use two-to-three basal profiles to control their glucose levels.

 An increased rate of insulin can be programmed during early morning hours when nearly 50 percent of type 1 diabetes patients experience high glucose levels. Insulin injections simply do not allow for this type of individualization.

• Flexibility

 An insulin pump provides “just-in-time” delivery. Insulin pump users can adjust insulin delivery to accommodate meals, exercise schedules or lifestyle needs. In contrast, insulin delivered by multiple daily injections cannot be adjusted once it is dispensed.

Insulin pump users can “eat what they want, when they want” – something almost unheard of in patients using multiple daily injections who follow rigid lifestyle and meal schedules.

Patients who inject insulin four times a day will end up injecting insulin 1,460 times in a year. In contrast, insulin pump users generally change their infusion sets every two to three days – that’s an average of 146 times a year – which means less pain and greater flexibility for patients.

• Quality of Life

Patients using insulin pump therapy have:

 - Greater treatment satisfaction.

-  A significant reduction in diabetes-related worry.

-  A significant improvement in the perception of mental health.

-  Greater flexibility in terms of eating habits, lifestyle flexibility and sleep pattern.