Ease of use and patient preference injection simulation study comparing two prefilled insulin pens

Area of Science:

• Diabetes management
• Medical device usability
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Insulin pens are critical for diabetes self-management.
• Patient preference and ease of use significantly impact treatment adherence.
• Comparing prefilled insulin pens is essential for optimizing patient experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare patient ease of use and preference between the insulin lispro pen (Humalog KwikPen) and the insulin aspart pen (Next Generation FlexPen).
• To evaluate specific usability aspects, including ease of pressing the injection button and overall device handling.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, open-label, crossover study involving 367 insulin pen-naïve patients with diabetes.
• Patients received training and performed simulated low- and high-dose injections with both devices.
• Ease of use was assessed using a 10-item questionnaire, with a primary focus on injection force and final pen preference.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant majority of patients preferred the insulin lispro pen for ease of pressing the injection button (68.4%).
• The insulin lispro pen was also preferred for ease of holding (64.9%), use in public (67.5%), and overall ease of use (69.9%).
• A majority of patients expressed a final preference for the insulin lispro pen (67.3%).

Conclusions:

• The insulin lispro pen was preferred over the insulin aspart pen for ease of use among insulin pen-naïve patients with diabetes.
• Findings suggest potential advantages of the insulin lispro pen in patient-reported usability.
• Limitations include the open-label design, simulated injections, and use of an unvalidated questionnaire.