The Educated Pharmacist: Using Patient Insights to Personalize Insulin Therapy and Prevent Clinical Inertia

Program Information

Pharmacists play a pivotal role in addressing clinical inertia among people living with type 2 diabetes (T2D) who require insulin to reach glycemic goals. Despite advances in insulin formulations and delivery devices, many patients experience challenges with insulin initiation, titration, or persistence due to barriers such as fear of hypoglycemia, injection discomfort, perceived complexity, and emotional distress. More than half of individuals starting insulin report feelings of failure, shame, or anxiety that can interfere with self-management. Understanding patients’ emotions enables pharmacists to build trust, reduce stigma or guilt, and promote open communication around challenges and fears. Taking patients’ perspectives seriously increases engagement in therapy decisions, fosters motivation, and improves adherence, supporting improved treatment engagement and overall well-being. This panel discussion draws on real patient experiences to help pharmacists translate clinical data into personalized care strategies. Experts will guide learners through practical approaches to identify adherence barriers, optimize insulin therapy, and foster confidence and long-term engagement while prioritizing the individual patient. The discussion will also highlight emerging long-acting insulin formulations that may help alleviate injection burden and support improved persistence in appropriate patients. Upon completion, attendees will receive access to a Train the Trainer toolkit to share knowledge within their clinical practices.

Target audience: Community Pharmacist, Health System Pharmacist, Ambulatory Care Pharmacist

Type of activity: Application

Release date: June 25, 2026

Expiration date: August 25, 2026

Time to complete activity: 1.5 hours

Learner level: Intermediate, Advanced

Fee: Free

Educational Objectives

• Use patient insights and experiences to express the full context of adherence barriers affecting people with T2D on insulin therapy
• Determine appropriate therapeutic adjustments by reconciling clinical data with patient-reported barriers to achieve individualized glycemic goals
• Customize communication and counseling strategies to individual patient needs and preferences to foster patient self-management and support long-term adherence to insulin regimens

Accreditation Information

Pharmacy Times Continuing Education™ is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.

Each CE broadcast/symposium is approved for 1.5 contact hour (0.15 CEU) of application-based credit.

Obtaining Credit

All participants who attended the live virtual broadcast need to log on to their Pharmacy Times Continuing Education™ account on www.pharmacytimes.org to complete an online evaluation form and request their credit. Instructions on receiving credit will be provided the day of the event.

Disclosures

Jennifer Trujillo, PharmD, BCPS, BC-ADM, CDCES, FCCP, has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.

Jennifer Goldman, PharmD, CDCES, BC-ADM, FCCP, has the following relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose:
Speakers Bureau: Abbott Diabetes, Amgen, CeQur, Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Xeris

Sneha B. Srivastava, PharmD, BCACP, CDCES, DipACLM, FADCES, has the following relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose:

Speaker's Bureau: Xeris Pharmaceuticals

Katelyn O'Brien, PharmD, BCPS, CDCES, BC-ADM, has the following relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose:

Consultant: Advisory Board: Insulet, Lilly

Speaker's Bureau: Insulet

Pharmacy Times Continuing Education™ Planning Staff: Jim Palatine, RPh, MBA; Dipti Desai, PharmD, MBA, CHCP; Kylie Ferrentino; Susan Pordon; Brianna Winters; and Chloe Taccetta have no financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.

All of the relevant financial relationships listed for these individuals have been mitigated.

At least one anonymous peer reviewer has been used as part of content validation and conflict resolution. The peer reviewer has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.

Educational Disclaimer

CPE activities are offered solely for educational purposes and do not constitute any form of professional advice or referral. Discussions concerning drugs, dosages, and procedures may reflect the clinical experience of the author(s) or they may be derived from the professional literature or other sources and may suggest uses that are investigational in nature and not approved labeling or indications. Participants are encouraged to refer to primary references or full prescribing information resources.

For questions about this internet CPE activity, please contact:

[email protected]

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