Estimating and examining the costs of inpatient diabetes care in an Irish Public Hospital

Kathleen M. Friel, Patrick Gillespie, Vivien Coates, Claire McCauley, Michael McCann, Maurice O’Kane, Karen McGuigan, Amjed Khamis, Matthew Manktelow

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Aim: To estimate and examine hospitalisation costs of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in an Irish public hospital. Methods: A retrospective audit of hospital inpatient admissions over a 5-year period was undertaken, and a wide range of admission-related data were collected for a sample of 7,548 admissions. Hospitalisations were costed using the diagnosis-related group methodology. A series of descriptive, univariate and multivariate regression analyses were undertaken. Results: The mean hospitalisation cost for Type 1 diabetes was €4,027 and for Type 2 diabetes was €5,026 per admission. Sex, admission type and length of stay were significantly associated with hospitalisation costs for admissions with a primary diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes. Age, admission type, diagnosis status, complications status, discharge destination, length of stay and year were significantly associated with hospitalisation costs for admissions with a primary diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. Length of stay was associated with higher mean costs, with each additional day increasing Type 1 diabetes costs by €260 (p = 0.001) and Type 2 diabetes by €216 (p < 0.001). Unscheduled admissions were associated with significantly lower costs than elective admissions; €1,578 (p = 0.035) lower for Type 1 diabetes and €2,108 (p < 0.001) lower for Type 2 diabetes. Conclusions: This study presents estimates of the costs of diabetes care in the Irish public hospital system and identifies the factors which influence costs for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. These findings may be of interest to patients, the public, researchers and those with influence over diabetes policy and practice in Ireland and internationally.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere14753
JournalDiabetic Medicine
Volume39
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • costs
  • diabetes mellitus
  • economic impact
  • hospitalisation
  • inpatients
  • length of stay

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