BD commemorates 10th anniversary of its initiative FITTER – Forum
Chennai: The first ever Insulin was injected to a human in January 1922 in Canada, and 11th January every year is observed as Insulin Injection Day. Insulin therapy is a crucial aspect of diabetes management. Even though, India is known to be the diabetic capital of the world with a whopping 7.4 crore people with diabetes, only a mere 37 lac people inject insulin in India. The biggest hurdle for insulin initiation is the fear of pain which is a result of lack of knowledge on safe & correct insulin injection practices. Major advancement in Insulin therapy has paved way for almost painless injections and people today can administer insulin without even feeling as much as a prick or pinch when injected in the correct injection site most suited for this therapy.
A majority of the people living with diabetes are still unequipped with the right knowledge of insulin administration and the correct techniques to follow. To spread awareness on safe insulin practices, BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) initiated Forum for Injection Technique India (FIT) in 2012, which is now FITTER- Forum for Injection Technique & Therapy Expert Recommendations, which also completes a decade of education in India this year.
Outlining the important aspects of safe Insulin Injection Techniques, Dr. P. Dharmarajan, Director and Professor, Institute of Diabetology Madras Medical College & Govt. General Hospital, Chennai said, “Insulin therapy is a crucial part of diabetes care and management among people with diabetes and it is important they are well aware of the correct practices to gain maximum benefit from their dosage. Due to lack of proper counseling, people with diabetes follow unsafe techniques such as injecting insulin repeatedly in the same spot or reusing the needle and even sharing it with their family members. This can lead to complications like lipohypertropy (a rubbery swelling under the skin) and infections. Further, if the patient injects into lipohypertrophy, their body may not even absorb the insulin smoothly and consistently. This can affect the blood sugar control and lead to further complications.”
BD’s initiative FITTER- Forum for Injection Technique & Therapy Expert Recommendations, is one of the major initiatives on educating people with diabetes on safe injection practices and runs several educational and awareness programs. Under this initiative, subject matter experts like endocrinologists and diabetologists are focusing on creating recommendations on best practices on insulin injection techniques for health‑care providers, people living with diabetes on insulin and their caregivers.
On the occasion of 100th year for administering Insulin Injection, Pavan Mocherla, Managing Director, BD-India & South Asia said, “Diabetes is a growing chronic condition that increases the risk of health complications and burdens healthcare systems globally. At BD, we are constantly working with healthcare systems to improve safety, patient comfort, outcomes and advancing capabilities for clinicians and patients in diabetes management. This centenary is an occasion to celebrate the innovation in insulin injection delivery that BD has achieved to help people with diabetes better manage their condition.”
