Insulin injections: mistakes and errors made by patients and/or health care providers

Complex injection procedures are usually recommended for insulin-treated patients. Traditionally, patients on insulin have been instructed to use ‘aseptic technique’ precautions against infection at the injection site [1.2]. However, there is a growing trend towards simplification, without added risk for the patient. In a recent article Borders et al. [3] showed that non-compliance with complex insulin injection procedures is commonplace. They further suggested that modification of traditional teaching methods may result in financial savings, improved patient self-care success and enhanced health care provider credibility. The diabetic patient learning to inject insulin has to acquire several skills, and numerous mistakes may be made in teaching them. This chapter describes those that occur frequently among patients and/or health care professionals. Avoidance of ‘ob-