The insulin-dependent patient: perceptions and preferences.

Although patients realize that insulin is the missing hormone which keeps them alive and well, they do not regard it as a cure for diabetes because it may cause hypoglycaemia, it does not completely abolish the risk of long-term side-effects, and it does not permit a life-style equivalent to their prediabetic state. Clearly, though, insulin can improve quality of life and significantly reduce the risk of complications. Patients' perceptions of their illness and the available treatment have been explored by several means: letters written to a diabetes specialist nurse by children with diabetes, group discussion at a Young Adult Clinic and responses to questions at the annual Youth Diabetes Conference. Improvements in patient care will stem from physicians' awareness of patients' perceptions and from developments in insulin therapy.