Health outcomes in people with type 2 diabetes. A record linkage study.
BACKGROUND
This study pilots a method of measuring health outcomes in a general practice population of patients with type 2 diabetes.


METHODS
The Diabetic Register of the Perth and Osborne Divisions of General Practice was linked to the Western Australian Health Services Research Linked Database.


RESULTS
Of the 487 patients in the study, 332 (68%) had been admitted before their diagnosis of diabetes (40% with a diabetes related condition), and 56% were admitted postdiagnosis (55% with a diabetes related condition). The admission rate increased with age and duration of diabetes.


CONCLUSIONS
The data show that a large proportion of diabetic patients suffer from serious comorbidity both pre- and post-diagnosis and demonstrate that their hospital admission rate is higher than that in the general population.


CONCLUSIONS
The project demonstrates that linked hospital morbidity data can be used to monitor health outcomes in a general practice population of diabetic patients.
Centre for Health Services Research, Department of Public Health, University of Western Australia.
Kate J
KJ
Brameld
Alison
A
Ward
Arem L
AL
Gavin
C D'Arcy J
CD
Holman
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008498:Medical Record Linkage; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012307:Risk Factors; D014904:Western Australia / Q000453:epidemiology