Health Economic Indicators in Patients With Diabetic Foot: Outpatient Multidisciplinary Management

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of an outpatient multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment model on the health economic indices of diabetic foot patients. We included 142 diabetic foot patients who received treatment in 2 target hospitals from January to April 2018 in this prospective cohort study. According to their exposure factors, the patients were divided into a MDT group and a control group, with 71 patients in each group. The patients' baseline data were collected. The follow-up period was 12 months; all patients were followed up to April 30, 2019. Health economic indicators were collected when the patients were discharged from the hospital. The prognosis of each group was followed every month. If a wound healed, a major amputation occurred, or the patient died within 12 months, the follow-up was stopped. A total of 129 patients were followed, and their baseline data were comparable. During the follow-up period, the healing rate of the 2 groups was significantly different (P= .034). The healing rate of Wagner grade 4 patients was significantly better than Wagner grade 2 and grade 3 patients (P= .001). Health economic indicators demonstrated significant differences in bed waiting time (P= .038), transfer time (P= .001), surgery waiting time (P= .003), length of hospital stay (P= .047), and hospitalization expenses (P= .011). In conclusion, an outpatient multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment model for diabetic foot can support cost-effective patient management.