Cost-effectiveness of telemedicine care for patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia

Background and aim: Telemedicine could be used to provide diabetes care with positive clinical outcomes. Consequently, this study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of telemedicine for patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus (i.e. HbA1c >9). Patients and methods: This was a retrospective chart review of patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes attending an outpatient integrated care clinic. The study consisted of two arms, namely a telemedicine care model and a traditional care model with 100 patients in each. The clinical effectiveness (i.e. reduction in HbA1c) and the total cost in both arms were determined, and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was calculated. This study adopted propensity score matching. Results: The patients in the telemedicine care model had a mean reduction in their HbA1c level of 1.82 (95% CI = 1.56–2.09, p