Diabetes Insulin Pump

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Mater Private Network, Diabetes & Endocrine Centre, 10 - 11 Berkeley Street, Dublin 7, D07 Y032 01 882 2610 diabetescentre@materprivate.ie

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About this service

Starting insulin pump therapy 

Insulin pump therapy offers optimal management of your diabetes and is an alternative to daily injecting. 

This programme is designed to successfully help a patient transition from daily insulin injections to an insulin pump attached to the skin. The insulin pump delivers insulin 24 hours per day, giving greater lifestyle flexibility and diabetes control. 

If recommended, we can also offer a sensor augmented pump which helps reduce the risk of unrecognised hypoglycaemia, tracking blood glucose fluctuations 24 hours a day. 

The programme is delivered by the diabetes nurse specialist and specialist dietitian over three individual sessions. 

Who is it for?

  • Patients on multiple daily injections or monitoring blood glucose levels at least four times per day. 
  • Patients experiencing episodes of unrecognised hypoglycaemia or fluctuations in diabetes control. 
  • Patients anticipating a future pregnancy. 
  • Those involved in sport.

The programme

The programme is made up of three sessions over six to eight weeks, during which we will work with you to ensure you are getting the best from your pump. This will be carried out through a selection of detailed education, training and support. Telephone contact is a very important part of the process to monitor your compliance and to provide you with any guidance or assistance you need. We will be in regular phone contact with you as you get used to using the pump.

  • Assessment of your understanding and management of your diabetes. 
  • Introduction to the technical aspects of the pump (how to wear the pump, pump mechanics and programming of the pump). Intially you will wear the pump containing just saline for two to four days to get used to it. 
  • The transition to insulin in the pump will be made the following week. 
  • An individual session with the dietitian for review of your diet, intensive education in carbohydrate counting and insulin, and advice on alcohol and exercise. 
  • Commencement of insulin pump. 
  • Advice on daily management, how to troubleshoot hypo and hyperglycaemia. 
  • Review of carbohydrate counting and insulin calculations for meals.

This will take place six weeks after you start using the insulin pump:

  • Review of diet and accuracy of carbohydrate counting. 
  • Fine-tuning for exercise. 
  • Discussion of advanced pump features for meals. 
  • Assess daily management of the pump. 
  • Identify any problems/concerns. 
  • Fine-tune any aspects of insulin delivery.