Endocrinologist Dr. Tom Blevins said Catherine Patton of Austin created the I-Port Injection Port, which allows diabetes sufferers to easily inject insulin without multiple injections into the skin, The Austin (Texas) American-Statesman reported Saturday.

"It's a very straightforward, little device that's very effective and usable," the Texas Diabetes & Endocrinology official said of Patton's invention.

The port attaches to a person's skin allowing a needle to be inserted directly into the device for administration of insulin into the body. The device must be replaced every three days and can be hidden under one's clothes.

Patton told the newspaper her device, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2005 and became available to the public last year, has vastly improved her quality of life.

"I don't bruise; I don't have scar tissue," Patton said. "Even if you don't have a huge fear of needles ... it's really a quality of life (improvement) and a convenience. It's changed the way I look at this disease."