Successful completion of a competency-based insulin pen administration checklist along with successful demonstration of a mock insulin injection would be required before a nurse could administer insulin to a patient using the insulin pen devices. During this training period, all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians would also need to be trained how to use, label, dispense, and store the insulin pens (Davis, Christensen, Nystrom, Foral and Destache, 2008).
Another option would be for hospitals to only use insulin pens that are equipped with a safety needle that provides a passive safety feature that automatically engages after an injection is administered. The safety feature helps to prevent accidental needle sticks and needle reuse and is locked into place throughout needle disposal. The safety needle complies with U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines and appears on OSHA's list of approved safety-engineered sharps devices (Davis, Christensen, Nystrom, Foral and Destache, 2008).
All three of the solutions that have been proposed are viable solutions to the insulin pen problems that are currently happening in hospitals. An education program along with hands on training would be the easiest implemented and have the best possible outcomes for patient safety and quality control. Nurses need to understand the importance of using the product correctly and then need to be shown how to use it correctly. They then need to be held accountable for making sure that the proper procedures are being carried out in order to ensure the safest patient experience possible. The solution of a hospital only using a certain type of insulin pens is always an option, but would involve a specific cost that may not be feasible for all hospitals to take on.
Research has shown that if only insulin pens are dispensed during an entire hospital stay compared to insulin vials and syringes there is a cost saving of $36 per patient. Improved patient satisfaction and medication administration at home has been seen based on the method used in the hospital at home. Thos who were given insulin pens while in the hospital where more likely to continue their therapy compared with patients who received...
A considerable cost saving was anticipated for patients in the insulin pen group if insulin pens had been distributed during their entire hospital stay (Davis, Christensen, Nystrom, Foral and Destache, 2008).
Patient safety needs to be the top priority within any hospital and all staff should be educated and trained on how to best deliver it. Insulin pens have been shown to be very beneficial to those patients who are undergoing insulin therapy. They have many advantages that make insulin therapy more convenient and easier to do for those patients involved. They have also been shown to be a cost savings to those hospitals that take advantage of their use. But just like with anything new that comes on the scene, education and training are the keys to having successful experiences.
References
Alert issued about use of insulin pens for hospitalized diabetic patient. (2009). Retrieved April
14, 2010, from Consumer Med Safety Web site:
http://www.consumermedsafety.org/alerts.asp?p=2009_2_AL52
Davis, Estella M., Christensen, Carla M., Nystrom, Kelly K., Foral, Pamela A. And Destache,
Chris. (2008). Patient satisfaction and costs associated with insulin administered by pen device or syringe during hospitalization. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy.
65(14), p. 1347-1357.
Kruger, Davida F. (2008). Integrating Innovative Tools Into the Management of Type 2 Diabetes
to Improve Patient Self-Management. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse
Practitioners. Supplement 1, 20, p. 17-21.
Leadership Styles in Nursing. (2010). Retrieved April 14, 2010, from Buzzle Web site:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/leadership-styles-in-nursing.html
On Pens and Needle. (2010). Retrieved April 14, 2010, from HM Diabetes Web site:
http://www.hmdiabetes.com/article/thrive/blood-sugar/pens-and-needles
Potential Problems with Insulin Pens in Hospitals. (2008). Retrieved April 14, 2010, from U.S.
Food and Drug Administration Web site:
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/psn/transcript.cfm?show=78#5
