Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Several devices are available for the administration of recombinant GH. A prospective study was undertaken to look at those attributes of GH delivery device most important to patients when making their choice.

Objectives: i) To understand which features of a GH device are considered most important to patients when choosing a device. ii) Comparison of patient’s device preferences at start of GH treatment and after 2 years of treatment. iii) Correlation of these factors to the actual GH device chosen after demonstration of devices.

Methods: Children attending a large tertiary paediatric endocrine centre were enrolled in the study. Ethical approval was obtained. The parent/child’s preference for various device characteristics was evaluated through two questionnaires. The eight delivery devices currently available were then demonstrated. Children were divided into two groups: i) Treatment-naive (Group I) and ii) Treatment-established (Group II).

Results: There were 40 children (aged 1.7–16.0 years) in Group I and 40 children (aged 3.8–17.8 years) in Group II. The option of prefilled GH cartridges was ranked as the top most desirable device characteristic in both groups (73% Group I, 55% of Group II, P=0.09). The Easypod™ device was the most commonly chosen device in both groups (50% Group I, 33% Group II, P=0.13). 30% of Group I and 65% of Group II chose a device with at least 2 of the desirable device characteristic (P=0.002). 38% of Group I and 88% of Group II picked the device identified as their top preference (P<0.05).

Conclusions: Both children starting and already on GH treatment preferred devices with electronic features and prefilled GH cartridges. The patient’s top device preference was similar at the start of treatment and after 2 years of treatment. These questionnaires can be used to streamline the number of devices demonstrated to patients.