Background: In many places, children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus are admitted to hospital for metabolic stabilisation and training, even if they are not acutely ill. Out-patient or home based management of these children could avoid the stress associated with a hospital stay, could provide a more natural learning environment for the child and its family, and might reduce costs for both the health care system and the families.
Objectives: To assess the effects of routine hospital admission compared to out-patient or home-based management in children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes who are not acutely ill, on metabolic control, wellbeing and self-efficacy of the patient and his/her family.
Search strategy: We searched the Cochrane Library (including the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register), Medline, Embase, Cinahl, and the British Nursing Index. Additionally, we searched reference lists of relevant studies identified and contacted one of the trialists about further studies. Date of latest search: February 2003.
Selection criteria: Comparative studies of initial hospitalisation compared to home-based and/or out-patient management in children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes.
Data collection and analysis: Studies were independently selected by two reviewers. Data extraction and quality assessment of trials were done independently by two reviewers. Any differences in opinion were resolved by discussion. Authors of included studies were contacted for missing information. Results were summarised descriptively, using tables and text.
Main results: Six studies were included in the review, including a total of 237 children in the out-patient/home group. Two studies were randomised controlled trials, three were retrospective cohort studies, and one was a prospective cohort study. Except for one randomised controlled trial that included children in the intervention group who were initially hospitalised for a brief period, studies were of low quality. The one high quality trial identified suggested that home-based management of children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes may lead to slightly improved long term metabolic control (at two and three years follow-up). No differences between comparison groups were found in any of the psychosocial and behavioural variables assessed or in rates of acute diabetic complications within two years. Parental costs were found to be decreased, while health system costs were increased, leaving total social costs virtually unchanged. None of the other studies assessing metabolic control found a difference between the comparison groups. There seemed to be no differences in hospitalisations or acute diabetic complications between the out-patient/home groups and the hospital groups. Results with respect to psychosocial and behavioural variables were inconclusive, with only one study finding significant results on some selected subscales of tests used. In another study, the out-patient/home group did significantly better on the assessments of treatment adherence, familial relationship and sociability, but upon further analysis this only seemed to apply to selected socioeconomic subgroups, with no clear explanations offered.
Reviewer's conclusions: Due to the generally low quality or limited applicability of the studies identified, the results of this review are inconclusive. On the whole, the data seem to suggest that out-patient/home management of type 1 diabetes in children at diagnosis does not lead to any disadvantages in terms of metabolic control, acute diabetic complications and hospitalisations, psychosocial variables and behaviour, or total costs. Primary research, ideally a high quality randomised controlled trial, is required.