Abstract Body

Objective: Patch pumps, i.e. tubeless insulin pumps, are an attractive alternative to conventional insulin pumps for people with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes on insulin therapy. However, to date, the patient-related benefits of patch pumps are not well understood. Methods: A systematic review was conducted to summarize potential patient-relevant advantages and disadvantages of patch pumps and to assess relevant studies on patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Relevant studies were identified by a systematic PubMed search. In addition, the reference lists of the respective articles and Google Scholar were checked for further references. English-language articles published before June 30, 2021, were included; no other publication date criteria were specified. Results: A total of 12 studies were included. The results of this analysis demonstrate that patch pumps improve quality of life, reduce diabetes-related symptoms, increase patient satisfaction, and are preferred by patients compared with conventional insulin pumps and daily multiple injection (MDI) therapy. However, several methodological limitations of the identified studies limit the power of this analysis. Conclusions: Despite the limited number of studies evaluating the benefits of patch pumps in relation to PROs, there is increasing evidence that people with diabetes prefer patch pumps compared to MDI and conventional pumps. It is notable that this aspect has been relatively understudied. More systematic studies evaluating the benefit of patch pumps in relation to PROs are needed.