Out-of-pocket expenditure on diabetes care in an urban population of Tamil Nadu: A community based study

Abstract

Background: Diabetes is a life-long commitment both to the patient and to the provider. Healthcare cost of diabetes is high since it requires close monitoring to prevent dangerous complications that may further increase the healthcare cost. Aim:Toassesstheout-of-pocketexpenditureondiabetesamongdiabeticpatientsinurbanTamilNadu.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 180 diabetic patients in Thoothukudi Corporation. Study tool used was a semi-structured interview based questionnaire. Multistage sampling was used. Results: The median quarterly OOPE for the study population was ₹ 1710 with an interquartile range of ₹ 2958. Male gender, higher education and socio-economic status, economical dependency, presence of co-morbidities and complications and hospitalization were significantly associated with increased OOPE on diabetes. Conclusion: Effective intervention should be done at all levels to diagnose the disease early so that occurrence of complications is delayed, thus reducing the household financial burden.