User Satisfaction and Insulin Pump Handling With a Prefilled Insulin Cartridge in Adults and Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes

BACKGROUND: This comparative handling study investigated user satisfaction and insulin pump handling with a prefilled insulin cartridge versus a self-filled insulin reservoir in insulin pump users with type 1 diabetes (T1D). METHODS: Adult (n = 105) and adolescent (n = 25) participants performed insulin pump preparations using a prefilled insulin cartridge and self-filled insulin reservoir. User satisfaction, insulin pump preparation time, and residual air in infusion set tubing were assessed for each insulin filling method. Post hoc analysis evaluated training time. RESULTS: User satisfaction scores were statistically significantly different in favor of the prefilled insulin cartridge versus the self-filled insulin reservoir (mean [SD]: overall, 4.0 [0.5] vs 3.3 [0.9]; burden on the user, 1.8 [0.6] vs 2.9 [1.0]; user inconvenience, 2.0 [0.7] vs 2.8 [1.1]; device effectiveness, 3.9 [0.7] vs 3.6 [0.9]; all P < .001). Insulin pump preparation time and residual air measurements were significantly different and numerically lower for the prefilled insulin cartridge versus the self-filled insulin reservoir (mean [SD]: preparation time, 124.4 [30.3] vs 237.8 [64.2] seconds, P < .001; residual air, 2.3 [26.3] vs 10.0 [63.3] mm, P = .007). Training time was shorter with the prefilled insulin cartridge versus the self-filled insulin reservoir (mean [min; max]: 193.1 [36; 453] vs 535.8 [124; 992] seconds). CONCLUSIONS: Adult and adolescent insulin pump users were more satisfied with the prefilled insulin cartridge versus the self-filled insulin reservoir when preparing an insulin pump. The prefilled insulin cartridge was associated with reduced insulin pump preparation time and reduced training time versus the self-filled insulin reservoir.