"Pediatric Diabetes Outpatient Center at Rhode Island Hospital: The impact of changing initial diabetes education from inpatient to outpatient" by Charlotte Boney, MD

Article

Pediatric Diabetes Outpatient Center at Rhode Island Hospital: The impact of changing initial diabetes education from inpatient to outpatient

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Charlotte Boney, MD, Baystate Health

Link

Document Type

Article, Peer-reviewed

Publication Date

2-1-2017

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

This study compared outcomes and costs for new-onset Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients educated at the outpatient versus inpatient settings. METHODS/DESIGN:

Retrospective study examining the following variables: 1) hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), 2) severe hypoglycemia, 3) admissions for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) or ER visits, and 4) healthcare cost. RESULTS:

152 patients with new-onset T1DM from September 2007-August 2009. There were no differences between outpatient group (OG) and inpatient group (IG) in mean HbA1c levels at 1, 2 and 3 years post-diagnosis (OG 8%, 8.5%, 9.3%; IG 8.3%, 8.9%, 9%, p=0.51). Episodes of severe hypoglycemia, DKA, and ER visits were not different between the two groups. Mean total hospital costs for OG and pure OG were significantly less than IG (OG: $2886 vs. IG: $4925, p<0.001), (pure OG: $1044 vs. IG: $4925, p<0.0001). CONCLUSION:

Our study demonstrates that outpatient- based pediatric diabetes education lowers healthcare cost without compromising medical outcomes.

PMID

28146595

Citation Information

Pingul MM, Mulvihill EM, Reinert SE, Gopalakrishnan G, Plante WA, Boney CM, Bialo SR, Quintos JB. Pediatric Diabetes Outpatient Center at Rhode Island Hospital: The impact of changing initial diabetes education from inpatient to outpatient. R I Med J (2013). 2017 Feb 1;100(2):21-24.