INS and diabetes mellitus: Other criteria included: the patient’s work schedule and lifestyle factors (50.7%), how relevant the potential side effects of insulin are to the patient compared with those of other hypoglycemic agents (40.8%), the availability of nurses, diabetes educators and others to implement and follow the insulin treatment (39.4%), if the fasting plasma glucose is more than 250 mg/dl (35.2%) and the cost of insulin (11.4%).