Barriers that practitioners face when initiating insulin therapy in general practice settings and how they can be overcome

Table 2 Barriers reported by primary care physicians to initiate insulin

Physicians’ related barriers

PCP’s lack of knowledge, training and experience

Language barriers between PCP and patient

PCP’s concern over the risk of hypoglycemia and weight gain

Perceived patient resistance - esp. fear of injections

PCP’s concern about patient noncompliance

System barriers

Lack of resources (e.g., staff and materials)

Lack of continuity of care

The workload and time constraints of PCPs

Ambiguity of roles in the primary care team

PCP: Primary care physician.