Evaluation of the Use of PenNeedle @ Children being Treated with Growth 32 GTaperin Hormone

Pain resulting from needle iniection is a serious problem forpatients hat self-administer medication at home. We studied impressions of needle use by comparing PenNeedleO 32G Taper (NovoFine@' 32G Tip), developed to reduce the sense of fear and pain of injection, with a conventiona] needle, in children self-injecting GH, A total of 34 patients self-injected themselves with needles coupled with NorditropiniE' NordiFlexoc' pre-fi11ed recombinant human GH, and impressions of use were evaluated by a series of questionnaires, Compared to the conventional needle, PenNeedle 32G Taper was slightly less painful at time ofinsertion according to patient responses, though the difference was not statistically significant (IEO.06). PenNeedle 32G Taper has the same inner diameter as the conventional needle, thus there was no difference in the pain felt at time of injection between these two needles. Large differences in pain perception between the two needles were not seen probably due to their similar shape and appearance and as the subj ects of this study were young, Nevertheless, based on the results ofpost-study questionnaires, significantly more patients (68%, IEO.02) expressed a desire to use PenNeedle 32G Taper for daily injections of GH. PenNeedle 32G Taper thus appears to be a superior needle which reduces insertion-associated pain in children receiving recombinant GH and improves patient QOL.