Insulin utilisation pattern and its cost in managing diabetes mellitus for ambulatory patients in Miri Hospital: A two-year comparative study

Abstract

Introduction:

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease and insulin is one of the treatment available irrespective of diabetes type. The prevalence of diabetes is escalating in most parts of the world, including the low- and middle-income countries. The purpose of this study was to explore the insulin utilisation pattern and its’ cost for ambulatory patients in Miri Hospital from 2016 to 2017.

Methods:

Information on insulin dispensed from January 2016 to December 2017 was extracted from Pharmacy Information System, exported to Microsoft Excel and analysed. The cost was retrieved from the procurement records for various purchasing channels. The utilisation pattern was described as the quantity and percentage of insulin dispensed based on types of insulin. The cost was calculated by multiplying the quantity of insulin dispensed with unit cost obtained from the procurement records.

Results:
All insulin available in our hospital was included in the analysis. The insulin was categorised based on the types and pharmacokinetics profile. The most common insulin dispensed was premixed conventional insulin, followed by short-acting insulin and intermediate-acting insulin. However, the long-acting insulin analogue consumed the vast portion in term of cost expenditure, followed by premixed conventional insulin and short-acting insulin.

Conclusion:
This study found that insulin utilisation increased for all categories of insulin studied. It was showed that unit cost of insulin plays an important role in insulin utilisation pattern for ambulatory patients in our hospital. Future research should aim to associate the insulin utilisation patterns to clinical and economic outcomes in managing DM.