The Educated Pharmacist: No More Sugar Coating -- An Interactive Case Workshop for Pinpointing Barriers to Optimal Insulin Use

Program Description

Successful management of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is often impacted by patient-related challenges and barriers, including injection burden and fear of hypoglycemia, that contribute to suboptimal medication-taking behavior or treatment and clinical inertia. However, these challenges in clinical practice are often underrecognized, as more than 75% of people living with T2D who are receiving insulin therapy remain above the American Diabetes Association’s recommended target glycemic goal of HbA1c less than 7%. This session includes an expert faculty panel and a highly interactive workshop format that will guide learners through a collaborative patient case and focused discussions. The case discussion offers a realistic scenario to practice timely therapeutic intervention and discuss guideline-aligned insulin modification plans. Pharmacists will gain the necessary skills to identify people living with T2D experiencing suboptimal glycemic outcomes despite insulin therapy, recognize challenges associated with suboptimal medication-taking behavior and complex regimens, and apply best practices in insulin therapy modification and counseling. This activity will also explore the potential role of emerging once-weekly insulin therapies in simplifying treatment regimens. Shared decision-making strategies and patient-centered communication will be highlighted to support necessary insulin therapy adjustments to overcome therapeutic inertia. Upon completion, all attendees will receive access to a "Train the Trainer" toolkit, enabling them to help support additional pharmacists within their own clinical practices.

Target audience: Community Pharmacist, Health System Pharmacist, Ambulatory Care Pharmacist
Type of activity: Application
Release date: April 10, 2026
Expiration date: April 10, 2027
Learner level: Foundational, Intermediate
Time to complete activity: 1.5 hour
Fee: Free

Educational Objectives

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

• Investigate how specific patient-related factors, such as insulin injection burden, fear of hypoglycemia, and medication-taking behavior, contribute to clinical and therapeutic inertia in type 2 diabetes management
• Construct insulin modification plans based on individualized glycemic goals and guidelines to facilitate therapy adjustment and uptake of emerging once-weekly formulations
• Use counseling techniques and patient-centered communication strategies to support insulin medication-taking behavior and individualized diabetes management