Improving Transition to Insulin Through Clinical Conversations

Recent work suggests that how we talk to people with diabetes can play a role in their level of engagement and how they conceptualize diabetes management and affect both their treatment outcomes and their motivation and behavior (1,2). As we apply these concepts to transitioning to insulin therapy, clinicians may need to examine how they characterize insulin and discuss it with patients with type 2 diabetes.

Patients who perceive diabetes-related stigma are more likely to have a negative orientation to insulin (3). Thus, it is important to avoid using stigmatizing language and vilifying insulin (4). Insulin is not the “bad guy” and should not be used as a threat to reinforce the need to change behavior …