title: Does one-to-one demonstration with insulin pads by health-care providers improves the insulin administration techniques among diabetic patients of a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in South India?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study was aimed to capture the effect of using injection pads as a tool in educating the diabetic patients who were on insulin. The attitude and practice of the patients in storage of insulin vials and disposal of insulin syringes were also assessed.
  
  
  METHODS
  A facility based Quasi-experimental study was carried out among the diabetic patients on insulin, attending diabetic clinic in endocrinology OPD in a tertiary care hospital, Puducherry. One to one intervention was given to the study participants or their attendants (who were involved in injecting insulin), by a trained investigator regarding all the steps of insulin administration. The insulin administration practices before and immediately after the intervention was assessed using a checklist.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total 91 patients were included for the study with mean (SD) age of 53.9 (10.6) years and of them 76% were females. The attitude and practices of the study participants, such as hand washing before handling insulin, checking the expiry date, storage of insulin, inspection of injection site, rolling and cleaning the vial, withdrawal of the syringe up to the required dose, pushing the plunger after inserting the syringe into the vial, checking and removal of air bubbles, cleaning the injection site and allow to dry and injection technique improved significantly after the intervention (P< 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study findings shows that using injection pads for educating patients helps them to practise better insulin administration. The findings from the study can be applied in routine care and has to be explored further in diabetic patient management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India.
authors.forename: Urvasi
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kapoor
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India.
authors.forename: Gomathi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ramasamy
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, Puducherry, India.
authors.forename: Kalaiselvi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Selvaraj
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India.
authors.forename: Jaya Prakash
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Sahoo
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India.
authors.forename: Sitanshu Sekhar
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Kar
keywords: Effectiveness; insulin injection practice; insulin pad