Epidemiological studies of diabetes mellitus in Denmark: 6. Use of hospital services by insulin-treated diabetic patients.

The use of hospital services among insulin-treated diabetic patients was studied in a group of 1499 patients, representing greater than 98% of all prevalent cases as of 1 July 1973 in the Funen County, Denmark, who were followed during a 8 1/2 year period by a record linkage with the regional computerized hospital registration system. On the prevalence date, 26% of the patients (in the age group 0-9 years: 74%) attended a diabetic outpatient clinic. The overall average admission rates for males and females were 0.46 and 0.53 per diabetes-year, respectively, and the average estimated 'hospital bed-day occupancy' rates per diabetes-year were 7.2 and 9.6, respectively. These figures are five times higher than expected from the general population. Diabetes was not recorded as a discharge diagnosis (primary and/or secondary) in 13% of the male and 15% of the female 'hospital bed-day occupancy' rate.