One‐minute mental status examination for category fluency is more useful than mini‐mental state examination to evaluate the reliability of insulin self‐injection in elderly diabetic patients

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: We investigated the factors associated with the reliability of insulin self‐injection in elderly diabetic patients receiving insulin therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled diabetic patients aged ≥65 years and receiving insulin therapy, and assessed their cognitive function by the mini‐mental state examination and 1‐min mental status examination for category fluency. We also observed their technique of insulin self‐injection, and evaluated whether or not patients were able to inject insulin by themselves according to nine defined details in terms of insulin self‐injection. The predictive factors for the reliability of insulin self‐injection were determined by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. There were 278 participants (135 males, 143 females) enrolled in the present study. RESULTS: According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, only the 1‐min mental status examination score was found to be a significant independent predictor of the reliability of insulin self‐injection (odds ratio 0.75; 95% confidence interval 0.62–0.90; P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The 1‐min mental status examination for category fluency can be considered more useful than mini‐mental state examination to evaluate the reliability of insulin self‐injection in elderly diabetic patients receiving insulin therapy.