Table 2.
The importance of factors influencing decision-making process
| On insulin (n = 37) | Not on insulin (n = 50) | Sample total (n = 87) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Factor | Mean score | Factor | Mean score | Factor | Mean score |
| Blood glucose control (treatment efficacy) | 8.7 | Long-term diabetes complications | 7.8 | Long-term diabetes complications | 8.2 |
| Long-term diabetes complications | 8.7 | Ease of taking medication | 7.8 | Blood glucose control (treatment efficacy) | 8.1 |
| Concerns about your diabetes getting worse | 8.6 | Blood glucose control (treatment efficacy) | 7.7 | Concerns about your diabetes getting worse | 8.0 |
| Weight change | 6.7 | Concerns about your diabetes getting worse | 7.6 | Ease of taking medication | 7.2 |
| Side effects | 6.5 | Side effects | 7.3 | Side effects | 7.0 |
| Convenience | 6.5 | Daily injections | 7.3 | Convenience | 6.9 |
| Ease of taking medication | 6.4 | Convenience | 7.3 | Daily injections | 6.8 |
| Daily injections | 6.0 | Issues of traveling with insulin | 6.7 | Weight change | 6.3 |
| Hypoglycemic events | 5.2 | Treatment burden | 6.6 | Issues of traveling with insulin | 6.0 |
| Issues of traveling with insulin | 5.1 | The number of times a day you have to take medication | 6.6 | Hypoglycemic events | 6.0 |
| Psychological impact | 4.8 | Hypoglycemic events | 6.5 | Storage of medication | 5.8 |
| Storage of medication | 4.8 | Storage of medication | 6.5 | The number of times a day you have to take medication | 5.7 |
| Ability to exercise or be very physically active | 4.8 | Lifestyle interference | 6.4 | Treatment burden | 5.7 |
| Management around meals | 4.8 | Management around meals | 6.2 | Management around meals | 5.6 |
| Pain, discomfort of injections | 4.6 | Weight change | 6.1 | Lifestyle interference | 5.6 |
| Lifestyle interference | 4.5 | Psychological impact | 5.9 | Psychological impact | 5.4 |
| The number of times a day you have to take medication | 4.4 | Feelings of personal failure | 5.9 | Pain, discomfort of injections | 5.3 |
| Treatment burden | 4.3 | Pain, discomfort of injections | 5.7 | Ability to exercise or be very physically active | 5.2 |
| How you feel about yourself because of your type of treatment | 4.3 | How you feel about yourself because of your type of treatment | 5.6 | How you feel about yourself because of your type of treatment | 5.1 |
| Fear of needles | 3.9 | Ability to exercise or be very physically active | 5.5 | Feelings of personal failure | 4.8 |
| Feelings of personal failure | 3.3 | Fear of needles | 5.3 | Fear of needles | 4.7 |
| Social/personal relationships | 3.1 | Social/personal relationships | 4.7 | Social/personal relationships | 4.0 |
| Being treated differently by others | 2.5 | Being treated differently by others | 3.5 | Being treated differently by others | 3.1 |
| Worrying others may think you are a drug addict if you are injecting insulin | 1.9 | Worrying others may think you are a drug addict if you are injecting insulin | 2.8 | Worrying others may think you are a drug addict if you are injecting insulin | 2.4 |
The table represents patient self-reported scores of how important each factor was in influencing their decision whether or not to initiate insulin on a scale from 1 (not at all important) to 10 (extremely important). Mean scores are listed in order of most important to least important