The Forum for Injection Technique (FIT) India and Bangalore Diabetes Club have announced injection recommendations for elderly people living with diabetes in the city. The move coincided with the insulin injection week in India which commenced on January 11, 2014.

A scientific advisory board of leading endocrinologists and diabetes experts compiled the FIT India recommendations based on clinical evidence, implications for patient therapy and bring uniformity in insulin injection technique.

“Insulin remains a critical component of treatment of diabetes, not only type I but also in many cases of type II. At present injection remains the only practical means to deliver insulin,” said Dr K M Prasanna kumar, consultant endocrinologist & executive advisory member, FIT India.

Counseling geriatric patients for self-injection can be a challenging task. Unlike their younger peers, they may have certain age related potential difficulty in executing the instructions for injections properly. The FIT recommendations suggest that physicians should not use age as an excuse to avoid usage of insulin which can delay the treatment and result in further complications. Along with insulin initiation for elderly patients, health-care providers must ensure the involvement of responsible family members/attendants during the selection of insulin and explanation of injection technique.

According to Dr C Munichoodappa, head, Department of Diabetology, Bangalore Hospital, “As per latest survey, more than 15 per cent of diabetic patients in the city do not adhere to appropriate insulin treatment practices, and 20 per cent do not know about right injection techniques. As insulin treatment is vital for blood glucose control, inappropriate injection skills compromise the dosage accuracy and its effectiveness. Moreover, it may also lead to pain with bleeding and a risk of contamination.”

According to Dr Syed Javaz, medical superintendent & director, Bangalore Diabetes Hospital, “Thirty per cent of people have psychological resistance to even initiate an insulin therapy, despite it being indispensible for glycemic control to manage the disease.”

Several factors, including method of administration, dosing, compliance, selection of injection site, depth of the injection, time lapse before withdrawing the needle and misconceptions about insulin therapy, influence the success of insulin injection therapy.

In November 2012 Forum for Injection Techniques (FIT India) and BD India had come together to launch the first Indian clinical recommendations for best practices in insulin injection techniques in India.

The development of FIT and the subsequent India recommendations for injection technique have been supported by prominent medical technology firm Becton, Dickinson & Co. (BD India).