Economic impact of diabetic foot ulcers on healthcare in Saudi Arabia: a retrospective study

• Published in: Annals of Saudi medicine 2020-09, Vol.40 (5), p.425-435
• Main Authors: Alshammary, Shadi, Othman, Sharifah A., Alshammari, Eiman, Alarfaj, Mosab A., Lardhi, Haitham Amer, Amer, Nasser Mohamed, Elsaid, Ayman S., Alghamdi, Hanan M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Original
• ISSN: 0256-4947; 0975-4466
• DOI: 10.5144/0256-4947.2020.425

BACKGROUNDDiabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are a critical complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) affecting life quality and significantly impacting healthcare resources. OBJECTIVEDetermine the direct medical costs associated with treating DFU in King Fahad Hospital of the University and identify factors that could assist in developing resource management guidelines in Saudi Arabia. DESIGNRetrospective study. SETTINGSETTING: King Fahad Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. PATIENTS AND METHODSThe study included diabetic patients admitted with foot ulcerations between 2007 and 2017 inclusive. We determined management costs including drug usage, wound dressings, surgical procedures, admissions, and basic investigation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURESFactors affecting the direct perspective medical costs of managing DFU. SAMPLE SIZE99 patients. RESULTSThe overall cost of managing 99 patients with DFU was 6 618 043.3 SAR ($1 764 632.68 USD), which further translates to approximately 6684.9 SAR per patient/year ($1782.6 USD). The highest cost incurred was for admission expenditure (45.6%), followed by debridement (14.5%) and intensive care unit (ICU) admission (10.4%). CONCLUSIONThe overall healthcare expenditure in treating DFU is high, with hospital admissions and surgical procedures adding a significant increase to the total cost. Focused patient education on overall glycemic control and prevention of DFU may decrease complications and hence, the overall cost. LIMITATIONSIdentified only the direct medical costs of DFU as the indirect costs were subjective and more difficult to quantify. CONFLICT OF INTERESTNone.