DUBAI – January 3, 2016 – UAE residents are more fearful of having to endure daily injections than they are of heights, spiders, lightening or public speaking, according to a recent nationwide survey. Asked to rank ten things people are commonly afraid of, respondents listed having injections in third place only behind a fear of snakes and sharks.
The survey also revealed that over one-third of respondents said they would rather skydive from a plane if it meant being able to avoid needles every day, with almost a quarter saying they would rather handle a python. Unfortunately, while most people only have to brave the occasional needle throughout their lifetime it’s a different story for the 19% of UAE residents living with diabetes,1 many of whom will be faced with having to inject themselves up to four times per day.
Dr. Ghada Aoun from the Boston Diabetes Center said the survey results were not surprising and having to self-inject every day was an ordeal for many people with diabetes. “Taking injections before each meal can be a psychological and physical burden due to the associated pain. It’s quite common for children and adolescents to skip a dose of insulin because they can’t face another injection – and this can obviously have serious health consequences,” Dr. Aoun said.
“Using an injection aid may decrease the risk of future injection problems especially for younger patients and facilitate the use of multiple daily injections, which may contribute to a decreased risk of long-term complications. I would encourage all diabetics who face the burden of multiple daily injections to talk with their healthcare professional to seek advice on alternative solutions” she said.
The survey was commissioned by Medtronic [NYSE:MDT], the global leader in medical technology, to coincide with its newly introduced injection aid, enabling patients to reduce injections directly to their skin from 120 times in a typical month, to only once every three days.
Dr. Aoun said a wearable technology used by people living with diabetes on injection therapy provides a safe, effective, and easy way for patients to administer insulin.
“People with diabetes can inject their insulin into the injection port instead of directly into the skin,” she said. “It means people with insulin-dependent diabetes may no longer have to suffer multiple skin punctures every day.
“With nearly half of all patients on daily injection therapy reporting bruising and more than one third reporting pain2,the device is expected to be a game-changer in the treatment of diabetes. The injection port will also help relieve those who experience anxiety from injecting their diabetes medications.
“In fact, a prospective study, which involved 100 nurses and 100 patients in a community hospital revealed that the injection ports decreased anxiety of needles in patients by 100%.3”
Healthcare professionals and people with diabetes interested in learning more can visit www.medtronic-diabetes-mena.com.
