ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS OF DIABETES AND DIABETES MANAGEMENT IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Diabetes is an alarming epidemic that has caused a huge strain on Singapore health system. However, there is limited local diabetes-related information available to help policymakers plan for future healthcare needs. Hence this project proposes to analyze the economic impact of diabetes, specifically type 2 diabetes mellitus, and its management in three separate but complementary studies. Firstly, the economic burden of diagnosed diabetes was estimated among working-age adults in Singapore from 2010 to 2050 in order to address the current and future impact diabetes has on the health system and labor force. Secondly, the potential cost-effectiveness of current interventions available to prevent the progression of pre-diabetes to diabetes was examined from the health system and societal perspective. Lastly, electronic medical records related to inpatient care (which constitutes the largest component of medical expenditure) were analyzed in order to evaluate the potential for reducing unnecessary healthcare cost in a clinical setting.