1. Advantages of insulin pen needles

• It is convenient and portable, and it frees people from the cumbersome process of using a syringe to draw insulin from the insulin vial. Patients do not need to bring a large number of items such as syringes, insulin bottles, and sterile cotton wool when going out, but only need to bring a small "pen" instead. It is suitable for short-term travel and saves luggage space.

• The injection process of insulin pen needles is simpler and more concealed, which can save patients from the embarrassment of injecting insulin in public. Some people even complete the insulin injection with one hand right under the dining table, but the people at the table are unaware of it.

• It is convenient to inject insulin for patients with poor eyesight or even blindness. With poor eyesight, we know that it is impossible to use a syringe to draw insulin and inject it.  Because the insulin pen needle is easy to operate and there is a clear "click" sound when the dose is set, even if the eyesight is not good, the insulin pen needle can be used for injection after training.

• The insulin dose is more precise, and the insulin dose can be adjusted in 1 unit.

• It is basically painless, and its needle is thinner than that of a specialized insulin syringe. Some patients think that there is basically no pain after using it.

• Compared with a specialized syringe for insulin, the insulin pen needle is smaller in size, which makes it easy to store and carry.

II. How to choose the right insulin pen needle

Disposable insulin pen needles are mainly used to inject insulin for adults, children, and obese patients. However, some details should be paid attention to when choosing needles.

• Compared with people who are thinner, obese people should choose longer needles. If the thinner people use a longer needle, there is a risk of touching the muscle tissue.

• If obese people use a shorter needle, it will cause insulin to leak from the injection site, resulting in inaccurate injection doses.  During the injection, pinching the skin will prevent such things from happening and it is simple and easy.

• When injecting, longer needles or thicker needles will increase the patient's pain.

• Patients should choose a thicker needle when injecting large doses of insulin.

• Diabetes patients not only need a reasonable choice of pen needles, but also need correct injection techniques.

• The injection technique for diabetic patients also needs to be determined according to the injection site and the length of the pen needle.

Children and adolescents

• Pen needles that are 4, 5 or 6 cm are suitable for the injection of children and adolescents. Generally, the 4mm needle can insert the needle vertically without pinching the skin.

• For patients who are thin or choose to inject limbs, when the 5 or 6mm needle are used, we need to pinch the skin to form skin folds before injecting (pinch the skin to avoid intramuscular injection), or insert the needle at a 45° angle.

• Children or adolescents generally do not choose needles larger than 6mm to reduce the risk of intramuscular injection.

• When the needle exceeds 6mm, we should choose to pinch the buttocks and inject at 45°, or use a needle shortener.

Adults

• The initial treatment of adults should choose a thicker needle.

• Needles with a length of 4, 5 or 6mm are suitable for all adult patients, including obese patients, and pinching the skin is not required during the injection.

• A needle with a length of 4, 5, or 6mm can be injected at the extremities or areas with less fat.

• When using a needle whose length is more than 8cm, the skin should be pinched or injected at 45°.