Pharmacoeconomic Evaluation of Antidiabetic Therapy at a Tertiary Health Care Institution

Abstract

Objective: The present study was aimed to estimate the direct cost of pharmacotherapy, laboratory tests, and medical tests incurred by patients, to analyze the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for diabetic patient with macrovascular complications, to estimate the direct health system costs of treating patients with diabetes, to analyze the drug utilization trend of anti-diabetic therapy, to estimate the annual total direct medical costs of managing patients with diabetes, and to evaluate pharmacoeconomic impact on outcomes or beneficence of diabetic therapy.
 Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study at SRM Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Kattankulathur – General Medicine Department with a sample size of 200 patients.
 Results: During study, 200 diabetic patients were enrolled based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria at SRM Medical College and Hospital. Out of 200 diabetic patients (100%), 83 (41.5%) patients were females, and 117 (58.5%) patients were males. Out of 200 (100%) diabetic patients, 18 (9%) of the patient were within the age group of 20–39 years, 78 (39%) of the patients were within the age range of 40–59, the group with the highest frequency was aged from 60 to 79 with 93 (46.5%) patients while the age group of 80–99 had the lowest frequency of 11 (5.5%) of patients. The patient sample had 14 (7%) type 1 diabetic patients out of which two patients (14.3%) were females and 12 (85.7%) were males. A total of 186 (93%) patients had type 2 diabetes where 81 (43.5%) were females and 105 (56.5%) were males. Drug utilization trend: In the patient sample, anti-diabetic drugs were the most frequently used. Oral and parenteral dosage forms were used which included insulin administration subcutaneously and intravenously together with intravenous fluids to correct cases of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. HRQoL is the measure of patient value in terms of impact of disease and its treatment on physical functioning and psychological well-being. Out of 200 patients, 25% had severe problems with mobility.
 Conclusion: Diabetes is characterized by a very high-cost burden. Education on the prevention and management of diabetes must be prioritized. It must be provided to the diabetic patients and the society at large. Therefore, it is suggested that health-care providers and policy-makers must put more attention to the factors that result in an increased hospital care. A lower financial burden on patients would greatly increase the treatment compliance, complications, and comorbidity progression. This will result in a reduction of diabetes economic burden on patients, society, and health-care system. Further multicenter studies can be carried out in a larger population in different geographical regions in India or it can be done at a national scale.