Vnitr Lek 2014, 60(9):697-704

SOLOSTAR study demonstrated high levels of patient satisfaction with the use of the insulin pen SoloStar® in the Czech Republic

Tomáš Edelsberger^1,*, Michal Policar², Dita Pospíšilová³, Jana Psottová⁴, Jana Houdová⁴, Denisa Janíčková Žďárská⁵

¹ Diabetologická ambulance Krnov, vedoucí pracoviště MUDr. Tomáš Edelsberger

² Diabetologické centrum Jihlava, vedoucí pracoviště MUDr. Michal Policar

³ Diabetologická ambulance Kroměříž, vedoucí pracoviště MUDr. Dita Pospíšilová

⁴ Diabetologická ambulance Praha 10, vedoucí pracoviště MUDr. Jana Psottová

⁵ Interní klinika 2. LF UK a FN Motol Praha, přednosta prof. MUDr. Milan Kvapil, CSc., MBA

Introduction:
The aim of the observational, prospective and non-interventional survey SOLOSTAR was to obtain, in a clinical practice setting in the Czech Republic, information about patient satisfaction with the use of the pre-filled insulin pen SoloStar.

Methodology:
1 805 patients suffering from type 1 or 2 diabetes who began using the pen SoloStar were observed for 3 to 4 months. Satisfaction of patients with SoloStar and with its particular features was evaluated in the group of all patients and in subgroups defined by demographic parameters including the type of handicap. Patients also compared SoloStar with the pens used before the entry into the survey.

Results:
98.3 % of patients rated overall satisfaction with the pen SoloStar as "excellent" and "good" (the highest and second highest rating on a 5-point scale). Demographic criteria, including visual handicap and manual dexterity handicap, did not have any statistically significant effect on the rating of the overall satisfaction with SoloStar. Features of SoloStar were rated as "excellent" and "good" by more than 90% of patients. Higher rating of some of the features of SoloStar was awarded mostly by patients without prior experience with insulin application. Patients who used other insulin applicators before entering into the survey were more satisfied with the pen SoloStar than with the previously used applicator and most of them rated the use of SoloStar (93.1 %) and insulin application with SoloStar (83.5 %) as "much easier" and "easier" (the highest and second highest rating on a 5-point scale) in comparison with the previously used pen.

Conclusion:
The use of the pen SoloStar in a clinical practice setting in the Czech Republic is associated with high levels of satisfaction of patients, including handicapped patients. In addition, patients preferred SoloStar over insulin pens used before the entry into the survey.

Keywords: diabetes mellitus; insulin pen; patient satisfaction

Received: June 10, 2014; Accepted: July 21, 2014; Published: September 1, 2014  Show citation