Disrupted specialist outpatient services and alternative modes of service for patients with diabetes mellitus: A population‐based, retrospective cohort study in Hong Kong
Main finding · All-cause mortalityResult — go to the resultHazard ratio 1.20 95% CI 1.12–1.29Authors' conclusion
SOPC service disruption was associated with increased risk of mortality and CVD among patients with DM. Primary care clinic service could be a beneficial alternative mode of service to attenuate the excessive risk. These findings support a policy that follow-up at primary care clinics should be provided for patients with DM when SOPC service is disrupted in future public health crises.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) (2010–2019) with internal medicine specialist outpatient clinic (SOPC) visits in 2019, Hong Kong; followed January 2021 to June 2024
- Participants
- 96,372 patients
- Exposure
- SOPC follow-up disruption in 2020 vs no disruption; among disrupted, primary care clinic attendance vs none
- Outcome
- All-cause mortality and complications
- Follow-up
- January 2021 to June 2024
Methodological detailsCox proportional hazards models
- Cox proportional hazards models
Main finding
All-cause mortality
Hazard ratio
1.20
95% CI 1.12–1.29
SOPC disruptionvs No SOPC disruption
HR 1.20 (95% CI 1.12–1.29)
As reported in the abstract
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | HR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| CVD incidence | 1.12 (1.05–1.20) | |
| All-cause mortality, subgroup with SOPC disruption: primary care clinic attendance in 2020vs none | 0.72 (0.60–0.87) | |
| CVD, subgroup with SOPC disruption: primary care clinic attendance in 2020vs none | 0.84 (0.72–0.99) | |
| 0.512Hazard ratio (log scale) |
Original publication
Disrupted specialist outpatient services and alternative modes of service for patients with diabetes mellitus: A population‐based, retrospective cohort study in Hong Kong. Diabetes Obes Metab. Published 28 August 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →