Abstract

Objective: This study assessed the self-care of two type 1 diabetes patients who experienced both the multiple dose injection (MDI) and continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) pump therapies.
Methods: We assessed two female patients who underwent the MDI therapy during outpatient visits, and then switched to the CSII therapy. We conducted semi-structured interviews about the self-care of the participants while using the MDI and CSII. We asked them about the following aspects of self-care: device operability, physical aspect, daily life activities, social aspect, and psychological aspect.
Results: Regarding the CSII, the participants felt that self-care was inconvenient with respect to device operability and daily living aspects owing to the difficulty in operating the device and the heaviness of the pump, which is attributable to the fact that the CSII requires that an insulin pump is always attached to the abdomen. However, because the CSII stabilizes the HbA1c and blood glucose levels better than does the CSII, it improved the physical aspect of self-care, which in turn improved the social and psychological aspects of self-care, thereby easing the sense of burden.
Conclusion: The participants reported that with respect to both the CSII and MDI, while experiencing repeated setbacks and successes, they devised ways of coping with the device operability, daily life, social, and psychological aspects of self-care. Interestingly, they did not mention that their self-care improved due to the support from nurses. Thus, even in the midst of the frenetic conditions of outpatient care, nurses need to listen to the patients’ doubts, anxieties, and concerns. In doing so, nurses will be able to encourage patients to carry out sound self-care by drawing developing self-care plans with them, which will enable them to lead a comfortable life.