Potential Return on Investment (RoI) on web-based diabetes education in UK.

The incidence of diabetes mellitus is growing in the UK. As most diabetes care is performed by the patients themselves, structured education is one way to encourage their responsible participation in delivering effective care. Continuous e-learning by Internet has proven to be a useful method of diabetes education. "Return on Investment" (RoI) can be used as an indicator of the cost-benefit of web-based education. RoI is the ratio of money gained or lost on an investment relative to the amount of money invested. This report uses system dynamics modeling to predict the flow of patients in the educational system and the cost of their care. The analysis compared traditional and web-based education. Separate models were developed for each educational method and simulated until 2020 in one year intervals. The population of diabetic patients was adjusted at each cycle according to anticipated incidence and mortality rates. The population of educated diabetic patients was based on the educational capacity and literacy limits of each method. A report by the National Health Service (NHS) was used to calculate the cost of care by considering the cost difference between uneducated and educated patients. By 2020 with an annual rate of inflation of 3%, the annual cost of care is projected to increase to pound 3.67 billion for the traditional model as compared to pound 3.39 billion for the web-based model. RoI is estimated to be a ratio of 32.33. Investment in web-based diabetes education is not only a health benefit but also a reduction in care cost.