Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) has reached epidemic levels worldwide during the past two decades. It affects nearly 26 million adults in the U.S. Advances in both the treatments for T2DM and guidelines for its optimal management are extensive. Despite these advances, barely half of type 2 diabetics achieve recommended glycemic targets. Specific Aims: The specific aims were to: Describe the available research on clinical inertia and interventions that have been implemented to reduce it. Analyze various behavioral theories that explain and predict self-care practices in diabetes in order to develop a conceptual model on which to base an investigation of predictors of readiness to initiate insulin therapy in type 2 diabetics. Determine predictors of readiness to initiate insulin therapy in patients with T2DM when oral medications fail to control hyperglycemia using the conceptual model based on Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as a framework. Results: A review of research articles published from 1990 to 2010 concluded that clinical inertia of primary care providers treating T2DM resulted in a majority of patients experiencing unnecessary chronic uncontrolled hyperglycemia. Behavioral theories were analyzed for their ability to predict self-care behaviors in type 2 diabetics. A conceptual model was developed based on the major constructs of SDT in order to guide the design of study to investigate predictors of readiness to begin insulin therapy in T2DM. Finally, a descriptive, correlational study was performed to determine readiness to initiate insulin therapy in patients with T2DM when oral medications fail to control hyperglycemia. Results of the study revealed that participants who had a friend or family using insulin were 5.5 times more likely to rate their readiness to initiate insulin as high than those who had neither (p=.020). In addition, those with greater negative beliefs and attitudes toward insulin therapy were more likely to rate their readiness to initiate insulin as low (p=.012). A majority (58%) of participants rated their readiness to begin insulin therapy as immediate if it would give them better control over their hyperglycemia. The study also confirmed findings from previous studies that clinical inertia was present in this setting.