Methods for setting a basal rate profile for an insulin pump with an input unit and a calculation unit are disclosed. A number of interpolation nodes for the basal rate profile are defined by means of the input unit of the insulin pump. A continuous function with respect to the interpolation nodes, which images the interpolation nodes and any previously stored basal rates, is formed using the calculation unit of the insulin pump, and a temporal sequence of basal rates to be released by the insulin pump during specific time intervals is generated from the continuous function using the calculation unit of the insulin pump.