Foot-related diabetes complications: care pathways, patient profiles and costs.

We identified groups of typical care pathways for diabetic foot and discovered notable heterogeneity in the resource use within the groups. This information is valuable in guiding the development of diabetes care to meet the growing need. Nevertheless, reasons underlying the observed heterogeneity requires further examination. Since foot complications are largely preventable, substantial savings could be achieved using cost-effective technologies and more efficient organization of care.