Cristina Blaya Fernández, Alba Gracia-Sánchez, Sara Zúnica-García, Esther Chicharro-Luna
{"title":"Assessment of healthcare utilization in diabetes patients according to foot risk level.","authors":"Cristina Blaya Fernández, Alba Gracia-Sánchez, Sara Zúnica-García, Esther Chicharro-Luna","doi":"10.1016/j.pcd.2024.12.005","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aims: </strong>To quantify healthcare service utilization over the past two years according to the foot risk level in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM).</p><p><strong>Methodology: </strong>A descriptive observational study was conducted in a Primary Care Nursing consultation, evaluating patients with T2DM through examination and collection of sociodemographic and clinical data.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 153 patients were included. The prevalence of underdiagnosis was 71.2 % for neuropathy and 59.5 % for peripheral arterial disease. Patients with a high foot risk level had more consultations in PC Nursing for foot-related issues (2022 y 2023; p=<0.001). The number of hospitalization days in 2022 was also higher in patients with a high foot risk. Patients with diagnosed neuropathy consistently utilized healthcare services more frequently than those with undiagnosed or no neuropathy across most categories.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Patients with a high foot risk level consume more healthcare resources. Early detection and management of diabetic foot is crucial to avoid underdiagnosis, optimize resource use, and prevent serious complications.</p>","PeriodicalId":94177,"journal":{"name":"Primary care diabetes","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Primary care diabetes","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcd.2024.12.005","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Aims: To quantify healthcare service utilization over the past two years according to the foot risk level in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM).
Methodology: A descriptive observational study was conducted in a Primary Care Nursing consultation, evaluating patients with T2DM through examination and collection of sociodemographic and clinical data.
Results: A total of 153 patients were included. The prevalence of underdiagnosis was 71.2 % for neuropathy and 59.5 % for peripheral arterial disease. Patients with a high foot risk level had more consultations in PC Nursing for foot-related issues (2022 y 2023; p=<0.001). The number of hospitalization days in 2022 was also higher in patients with a high foot risk. Patients with diagnosed neuropathy consistently utilized healthcare services more frequently than those with undiagnosed or no neuropathy across most categories.
Conclusion: Patients with a high foot risk level consume more healthcare resources. Early detection and management of diabetic foot is crucial to avoid underdiagnosis, optimize resource use, and prevent serious complications.