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Parents' experiences of managing their child's diabetes using an insulin pump: a qualitative study

D Rankin1, J Harden, K Noyes

  • 1Centre for Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh.

Diabetic Medicine : a Journal of the British Diabetic Association
|January 13, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Parents using insulin pumps for children with Type 1 diabetes report benefits like fewer injections and improved family life. However, they also face increased work and concerns about hypoglycemia, requiring better support and education.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Diabetes Management
  • Parental Support

Background:

  • Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) via insulin pumps is increasingly recommended for children with Type 1 diabetes (T1D).
  • Understanding parental experiences is crucial for interpreting psychological outcomes and informing support systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the impact of insulin pump use on parents caring for young children with T1D.
  • To provide context for psychological outcomes in quantitative research.
  • To guide the development of support services for parents managing T1D in children.

Main Methods:

  • In-depth interviews were conducted with 19 parents of children (aged ≤12 years) with T1D using insulin pumps.
  • Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the qualitative data.

Main Results:

  • Parents reported significant benefits, including avoidance of painful injections, greater flexibility in meal/snack timing and composition, and improved family life and glycemic control.
  • While parents appreciated bolus calculators, they also described increased workload, including more frequent blood glucose monitoring to manage insulin doses for snacks and address hypoglycemia fears.
  • Some parents performed extra blood glucose checks to adjust pump settings for better hypo- and hyperglycemia management.

Conclusions:

  • Parents perceive substantial benefits from insulin pumps for themselves and their children.
  • Awareness of the additional workload and targeted education/support for hypoglycemia concerns are vital for parents using insulin pumps.
  • Development of improved measures to assess parental experiences with insulin pump therapy is recommended.
Abstract

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