Comorbid depression and increased health care utilisation in individuals with diabetes

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the extent of health care utilisation (excluding costs) of diabetic patients with and without depressive symptoms attending a specialist clinic in Singapore. Methods: A total of 537 Asian outpatients (aged 21 years and above) who were attending a Diabetes Centre were recruited on a consecutive basis between August 2006 and February 2007. Sociodemographic data, clinical and health care utilisation data were collected from the participants. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results: Individuals with depressive symptoms, on average, had more hospitalizations and hospitalization days. Those with depression reported losing significantly more working days as compared to the nondepressed individuals (1.9 vs. 1.4, P=.001). Conclusions: Our findings in this population suggest that the presence of depressive symptoms has an independent effect on the greater utilization of medical services.