Analysis of diabetes-related complications and the cost of diabetes in Poland. The methodology and the research sample used in <i>Economedica DM-PL</i> Survey

Abstract

Background: Knowledge about diabetes mellitus (DM)-related complications, the direct and indirect costs incurred by patients with DM is still insufficient in Poland. Economedica DM-PL (Economedica) survey was a cross--sectional observational study that aimed to assess these issues. Material and methods: The survey was carried out in 2016 on a representative sample of 2032 diabetic patients recruited by 195 general practitioners (GP) and 48 diabetologists (D) randomly selected from the national registry of physicians. Each GP and D recruited 8 to 10 patients with DM according to the specified protocol. The study included 1938 medical questionnaires (completed by the GPs and Ds), 1938 questionnaires about costs (completed by the patients) and 1532 treatment adherence questionnaires. Results: The Economedica survey provided new insights into DM epidemiological and cost data. 70% of patients with type-1 DM were diagnosed with the disease before the age of 40. For 76% patients with type-2 DM, it was diagnosed after the age of 50. The average monthly out-of-pocket medical costs for DM patients in 2016 reached 66.2 EUR, while their non-medical costs were 36.8 EUR. Conclusions: The methodology applied in our study proved useful for providing new dimensions of DM epidemiological and cost data in Poland.