Teleconsultation on patients with type 2 diabetes in the Brazilian public health system: a randomised, pragmatic, open-label, phase 2, non-inferiority trial (TELECONSULTA diabetes trial).

Background: This study addresses the rising burden of type 2 diabetes mellitus, and explores the potential of teleconsultation, as an alternative for diabetes management. The primary objective was to test the hypothesis that teleconsultation is non-inferior to face-to-face consultation in terms of glycaemic control measured as glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) (non-inferiority margin for the upper confidence interval for the difference between groups of 0,5% in HbA1c) for type 2 diabetes mellitus patients referred from Primary Healthcare to Specialized Care within the SUS.

Methods: TELECONSULTA, is a randomized, pragmatic, phase 2, single-centre, open-label, non-inferiority trial conducted in Joinville, Brazil.

Analysis of the costs of teleconsultation for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in the SUS.

Objective: To present the results of a cost analysis of remote consultations (teleconsultations) compared to in-person consultations for patients with type 2 diabetes, in the Brazilian public healthcare system (SUS) in the city of Joinville, Santa Catarina (SC). In addition to the costs from the local manager's perspective, the article also presents estimates from the patient's perspective, based on the transportation costs associated with each type of consultation.

Method: Data were collected from 246 consultations, both remote and in-person, between 2021 and 2023, in the context of a randomized clinical trial on the impact of teleconsultation carried out in the city of Joinville, SC.