Cost Of Inpatient Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes Care In Turkey: Single Center Experience

Objective: To explore the financial cost of type 1 diabetic (T1D) children and adolescents during inpatient management for various reasons.Methods: Ten years of electronic hospital records (2009-2018) of the pediatric ward were screened retrospectively and hospitalizations with a confirmed diagnose of T1D were analyzed. Costs are grouped as laboratory tests, clinical interventions, drugs, medical supplies, and total costs before being converted to US dollars according to the mid-year index published by the Central Bank of Turkey. Descriptive statistics and comparisons against patient-specific characteristics are presented.Results: There were 400 eligible cases. Cost per case for the hospital and for the Social Security Institution (SSI) were $268 and $309 respectively. The clinical intervention was the largest (49.84 vs 55.33 %) and that of medical supplies was the smallest (0.43 vs 0.55 %) component of the cost. Blood pH, HbA1c, having a single parent, and the number of days in the ward were parameters influencing total cost significantly (p<0.1).Conclusions: With strict monitoring of social protection mechanisms for families with type I diabetic children with high social risks, cost increases stemming from social risks that can be reduced. Also, it is beneficial to closely monitor the medical risks affecting the pH and HbA1c levels. The study offers the first data about pediatric T1D hospital stays in Turkey which are expected to help to reasonable resource distribution and efficiency of care.