Background: Problems may arise with insulin treatment, due to patients’ perspective towards it leading to refusal.
Objectives: To evaluate diabetic patients’ refusal towards insulin therapy, and to assess patients' perception and perceived barriers towards insulin.
Methods: A cross-sectionalstudy, where type 2 diabetics participated in the study during a period, February through March
2017. They were interviewed in person by a questionnaire including three sections; socio-demography, medical history and a
health belief model, comprising barriers to use insulin. Five points Likert scale was used to measure patients’ perception and
barriers towards insulin therapy.
Results: One fourth (24.4%) of the diabetic patients refused insulin. Among the controlled group, 34.4% refused insulin, while
21% refused insulin among the uncontrolled group. The study showed different barriers towards insulin therapy, including fear
of injection, pain, insulin injection needs help from others, fear of hypoglycaemia and embarrassment.
Conclusion: Diabetics showed a negative attitude towards insulin therapy due to social and psychological factors. The results
necessitate the development of a strategy to address problems related with a reluctance to initiate insulin and put a strategy to
implement education and better interaction with diabetic team to the stigma from phobia from insulin use.
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v19i1.39
Cite as: Hussein A, Mostafa A, Areej A, Mona A, Shimaa A, Najd A, et al. The perceived barriers to insulin therapy among type 2 diabetic
patients. Afri Health Sci. 2019;19(1). 1638-1646. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v19i1.39 
