• Emmanuel Cosson, Christine Mauchant, Imane Benabbad, Gilles Le Pape, Marion Le Bleis, Frédérique Bailleul, and Jean-Daniel Lalau.
• Department of Endocrinology-Diabetology-Nutrition, CRNH-IdF, CINFO, Jean Verdier Hospital, Paris 13 University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, AP-HP, Bondy, Paris, France, emmanuel.cosson@aphp.fr.
• Patient Prefer Adher. 2019 Jan 1; 13: 251-260.

ObjectiveTo evaluate perceptions of people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and treating physicians living in France toward insulin therapy.MethodsAdults with T2D receiving oral glucose-lowering treatment alone (INS-) or basal insulin for ≥2 months (INS+) completed an online cross-sectional survey comprising 39 questions, including some regarding perceptions and fears of insulin therapy. Physicians were interviewed by telephone using eleven similar questions. The survey was designed by French clinicians experienced in treating diabetes and conducted under the auspices of an independent market-research agency.ResultsThe questionnaire was completed by 590 adults with T2D (two-thirds INS+) and 130 physicians (65 diabetologists/endocrinologists, 65 general practitioners). INS+ adults reported fewer negative feelings and more positive feelings than INS- adults. Two-thirds of INS+ adults reported that transitioning to insulin therapy was less difficult than expected. Overall, 44% of INS+ adults and 26% of physicians reported a fear of diabetic complications as being important, and 80% of physicians and 21% of INS+ adults considered injections to be a major patient fear.ConclusionMost people with T2D reported that transitioning to insulin therapy was less difficult than they had feared. People with T2D and physicians exhibited differing perceptions regarding the transition. Reasons for the apprehension surrounding the transition to insulin therapy in people with T2D need to be better identified. Support from insulin-treated peers may enable this transition to occur with fewer anxieties in insulin-naïve people with T2D.

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