The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has released a new report today, “Insulin pump use in Australia”.
The report notes that 10% of Australians with type 1 diabetes use insulin pumps, with almost half of these people under 25 years of age. 88% of people interviewed chose insulin pumps for better control of their diabetes.
Importantly, the report states that “There are both clinical and lifestyle benefits to using insulin pump therapy. Studies have shown that people using pumps have lower HbA1c levels, lower insulin requirements and improvements in glycaemic control compared with people using MDIs …This improvement in the overall management of diabetes also reduces the risk of long-term health complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy.”
In addition, while the report recognises that the ongoing costs of consumables for insulin pumps can be more expensive when compared to the costs of multiple daily injections, it also states that “this expense is thought to be a more cost-effective option in the long term for most users due to the improvements in lifestyle and in the reduction in long-term medical complications”.
JDRF supports the use of insulin pumps for the type 1 community, when deemed appropriate by a relevant health professional. Unfortunately, government funding for the JDRF-administered Type 1 Diabetes Insulin Pump Program (t1dIPP) has now been fully allocated for 2012, and JDRF is unable to process any more subsidies until further funding is released by the Australian Government.
Please be reassured to know that JDRF has secured an understanding from the Department of Health and Ageing that they will work proactively with JDRF to seek increased funding for the t1dIPP in the 2013 May budget. JDRF hopes that the positive results of this new AIHW report will support this bid for increased funding in 2013.
Interesting research
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