ABSTRACT Aim To examine trends in potentially avoidable hospitalisations (PAHs) among people with diabetes in Ireland between 2015 and 2024, and how trends differ by sex and diabetes type. Material and Methods Using national hospitalisation data from the Republic of Ireland, we estimated rates and trends in PAHs among people with diagnosed type 1 or type 2 diabetes between 2015 and 2024, during which 181 130 PAHs occurred. This included 21 complications, which were used to create a composite measure. We also grouped these into five condition groups including diabetes‐specific, cardiovascular‐related, infection, lower extremity and acute kidney failure. We calculated age‐standardised rates (ASRs) and assessed temporal trends using linear time‐trend models and Joinpoint regression analysis. Results ASRs decreased from 105.0 (95% CI: 100.4, 109.2) per 1000 people with diabetes in 2015 to 91.0 (95% CI: 87.7, 94.3) in 2024 with an average decline of 2.5% (95% CI: −3.1, 1.7) per year. ASRs were consistently higher among individuals with type 1 diabetes compared with those with type 2 diabetes ( p < 0.001). When examined by condition group, ASRs declined steadily over time for all except those relating to infections, which showed an increase from 2022 onwards. Conclusion Although PAHs declined over the study period, rates remained high especially among people with type 1 diabetes. The shifting profile of PAHs towards non‐diabetes‐specific conditions highlights emerging prevention challenges and the need to strengthen primary and community‐based care pathways for people living with diabetes.
Pallin et al. (Sun,) studied this question.