An insulin pump is a small battery-operated device, used by people mainly with type 1 diabetes. It's a similar size to a small mobile phone and can be clipped to your belt or waistband, carried in your pocket or in a pouch.
Insulin pumps consist of the pump itself, a disposable reservoir to store the insulin, and a disposable infusion set. The infusion set includes the tubing that connects the pump to a fine needle (or cannula) which sits just under your skin. Read more about how an insulin pump works.
An insulin pump continuously releases small amounts of rapid acting insulin to keep your blood glucose levels steady between meals and during sleep. You can also use it to release insulin to your body when needed, such as during a meal or snack, to help manage your glucose levels.
- Using an insulin pump can improve blood glucose control and reduce the number of severe hypoglycaemic events for people with type 1 diabetes compared to multiple daily injections.
- It's important to remember that you must continue to check glucose levels using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) or glucose meter.
There are 2 insulin pumps which are funded – mylife YpsoPump and Tandem t:slim pump. Read more below about which pumps are funded in Aotearoa New Zealand(external link).