Table 4.
Caregivers (N = 16) | Acquaintances (N = 15) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Parameters | Nasal glucagon | Injectable glucagon | P | Nasal glucagon | Injectable glucagon | P | Root causes of errors |
Delivered a full dose, n (%)a | 15 (94) | 2 (13) | <0.001 | 14 (93) | 0 (0) | <0.001 | |
Delivered a partial dose, n (%); (min, max% of full dose delivered) | 0 (0); — | 6 (38); (3%, 85%) | 0.018 | 0 (0); — | 3 (20); (36%, 56%) | >0.999 | • Did not draw entire solution into syringe from vial |
• Did not completely empty syringe when injecting | |||||||
• Powdered glucagon was not completely dissolved | |||||||
Delivered no glucagon, n (%) | 1 (6) | 8 (50) | 0.016 | 1 (7) | 12 (80) | <0.001 | For injectable glucagon: • Injected diluent, bent needle, used insulin instead; injected with empty syringe, refused to attempt injection |
For nasal glucagon: • Did not completely depress plunger |
|||||||
Use of insulin | |||||||
Used insulin instead of glucagon, n (%)b | 0 (0) | 2 (13) | 0.484 | 0 (0) | 1 (7) | >0.999 | • Confused insulin and injectable glucagon |
Deliberately used both insulin and glucagon, n (%) | 2 (13) | 0 (0) | 0.484 | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | NA | • Believed insulin was always helpful to people with diabetes |
Intended to administer insulin, but administered glucagon instead, n (%) | 0 (0) | 1 (6) | >0.999 | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | NA | • Believed insulin was the correct treatment, but switched to injectable glucagon because he bent the needle on the insulin syringe |
Injected insulin to treat hypoglycemic event | 0 (0) | 2 (13) | 0.484 | 0 | 0 | NA | • Believed insulin was always helpful to people with diabetes |
Mean time to deliver glucagon, minutesc (minimum, maximum) | 0.27 (0.03, 0.93) | 1.89 (1.3, 2.75) | —d | 0.44 (0.17, 0.78) | 2.40 (1.3, 3.93) | —d |
Full dose of NG is delivered when plunger is fully depressed; full dose for injectable glucagon is defined as at least 90% of the targeted 1 mg dose administered.
These participants tried to inject insulin instead of using the supplied glucagon delivery system. They are also included in the count above participants who delivered no glucagon.
Includes data only from simulations in which full or partial glucagon doses were administered.
P-values were not provided for mean time to deliver glucagon because only eight caregivers and three acquaintances had timing data available for injectable glucagon.