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

This activity includes a Powered By Patients interview.

Program Description

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 pharmacists, health system pharmacists, and ambulatory care pharmacists
Type of activity: Application
Release date: July 21, 2026
Expiration date: July 21, 2027
Learner level: Advanced, Intermediate
Time to complete activity: 1.5 hours
Fee: Free

Educational Objectives

At the completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• 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