AIMS: To describe healthcare utilization patterns in young and middle-aged patients with diabetes 1 year and 8 years after diagnosis and to compare with the general population at two time points, 16 years apart. METHODS: Four cohorts with disease duration of 1 year or 8 years were selected from the Diabetes Incidence Study in Sweden, which registers all incident cases of diabetes in the 15- to 34-year age group. Control subjects were selected from the population register matched by age, sex and county of residence. A postal questionnaire was sent to the 1983 and 1992 cohorts in 1991 and 1993, and to the 1999 and 2008 cohorts in 2007 and 2009. Nine hundred and thirteen patients with diabetes and 1679 control subjects responded. RESULTS: One year after diagnosis, 49% of patients with diabetes in the 1992 cohort compared with 4.2% in the 2008 cohort reported visits to departments of internal medicine and endocrinology. A similar pattern was seen 8 years after diagnosis. The use of day care was 4-5 times higher among patients with diabetes compared with control subjects. Utilization of outpatient hospital care was higher among patients with diabetes compared with control subjects, even when excluding visits to diabetes clinics. CONCLUSIONS: Excess use of health care among patients with diabetes remained 16 years after the first follow-up. Utilization patterns were stable, except for a major decrease in inpatient care 1 year after diagnosis and an increase in day care 8 years after diagnosis. Observed changes probably reflect successive reforming of diabetes care in Sweden.
AIMS: To describe healthcare utilization patterns in young and middle-aged patients with diabetes 1 year and 8 years after diagnosis and to compare with the general population at two time points, 16 years apart. METHODS: Four cohorts with disease duration of 1 year or 8 years were selected from the Diabetes Incidence Study in Sweden, which registers all incident cases of diabetes in the 15- to 34-year age group. Control subjects were selected from the population register matched by age, sex and county of residence. A postal questionnaire was sent to the 1983 and 1992 cohorts in 1991 and 1993, and to the 1999 and 2008 cohorts in 2007 and 2009. Nine hundred and thirteen patients with diabetes and 1679 control subjects responded. RESULTS: One year after diagnosis, 49% of patients with diabetes in the 1992 cohort compared with 4.2% in the 2008 cohort reported visits to departments of internal medicine and endocrinology. A similar pattern was seen 8 years after diagnosis. The use of day care was 4-5 times higher among patients with diabetes compared with control subjects. Utilization of outpatient hospital care was higher among patients with diabetes compared with control subjects, even when excluding visits to diabetes clinics. CONCLUSIONS: Excess use of health care among patients with diabetes remained 16 years after the first follow-up. Utilization patterns were stable, except for a major decrease in inpatient care 1 year after diagnosis and an increase in day care 8 years after diagnosis. Observed changes probably reflect successive reforming of diabetes care in Sweden.
Authors: Xuemei Cai; Ali Razmara; Jessica K Paulus; Karen Switkowski; Pari J Fariborz; Sergey D Goryachev; Leonard D'Avolio; Edward Feldmann; David E Thaler Journal: J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis Date: 2014-07-30 Impact factor: 2.136
Authors: Vibeke Sparring; Lennarth Nyström; Rolf Wahlström; Pia Maria Jonsson; Jan Ostman; Kristina Burström Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2013-04-22 Impact factor: 3.295