A patient centred approach to basal insulin choice for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus

Basal insulins are first line injectable therapy by all international guidelines. Basal insulins can be used alone, in combination with metformin, dual or triple oral therapy, glucagon-like peptide receptor agonists, or prandial insulin. However, all basal insulins are not similar. This article proposes objective parameters, and suggests a simple checklist, using history, physical examination, and investigations, to help choose the appropriate preparation, viz degludec, detemir, glargine or NPH insulin, for persons requiring basal insulin.