There are several advantages to using insulin pumps to deliver medication. These include:

• Increased lifestyle flexibility. Because pumps meet both basal and bolus insulin needs, they eliminate the need for long-acting insulin. Patients also can eat meals when they desire instead of scheduling them according to when their insulin levels are peaking.
  
  
• Predictable and precise insulin delivery. Insulin pumps allow patients to administer precise amounts of insulin down to 1/10 of a unit.
  
  
• Tighter control of glucose (blood sugar) and reduced risk of low glucose (hypoglycemia) and insulin shock. Insulin delivered via a pump is not put into the body until it is needed, which can mean fewer insulin reactions. They may particularly benefit people who have hypoglycemia unawareness (difficulty sensing low glucose).