Effects of social deprivation and healthcare access on major amputation following a diabetic foot ulcer in a French administrative area: Analysis using the French claim data.

AIM: The link between social deprivation and the development of diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is still widely debated. The study objective was to evaluate the relationship between lower limb amputation, social deprivation level, and inequalities in access to care service among people with DFU. This regional pilot study was conducted at the living area level and based on the French National Health Data System (SNDS). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using hospital and primary care claim data in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. DFUs were determined using an original algorithm of care consumption or hospital diagnosis. The primary end point was amputation at 1 year. Secondary end points were mortality at 1 year and impact of potential access to care on amputation. RESULTS: We included 15,507 people from 2015 to 2017. Amputation and mortality rates were 17.5 and 117 per 1000 person-years. The least precarious living areas showed better prognoses (relative risk = 0.46; 95% CI 0.27-0.66). Territorial accessibility to a private-practice nurse, unlike physician accessibility, was associated with better results on major outcomes (p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: This is the first study using SNDS to study the care pathway of DFU management within and outside the hospital. High social deprivation in a living areas seems to be associated with more major amputations after a DFU.

Global healthcare pathway of people living with diabetes prior to wounding is associated with a decreased risk of amputation.

AIMS: Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) has a poor prognosis and high amputation rate. We previously used the French National Health Data System (Système National des Données de Santé: SNDS) to analyze the impact of deprivation and healthcare access on DFU prognosis. The purpose of this ancillary study was to explore the relationship between the global care pathway (care consumption) the year before and after DFU and the risk of amputation. METHODS: We conducted a study based on a cohort from the SNDS. The data came from a region of France and subjects living with a complication of DFU. We looked at care consumption one year before and one year after wound onset. Risk of amputation was calculated one year after DFU onset. RESULTS: Data were extracted for 6,642 patients. Subjects with DFU had a better prognosis regarding amputation risk when they are taking cardiovascular, antibiotic, neurological, drugs. A consultation with an ophthalmologist was also linked to a better prognosis: HR = 0.71 IC95 (0.499-0.995) (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: People with the best diabetes follow-up, even with several comorbidities, appear to have a better prognosis for their DFU. This highlights the importance of global healthcare and the care pathway in this chronic disease.