Photo: Työterveyslaitos
In his doctoral dissertation, M.Sc. Olli Kurkela examined typical care pathways of diabetes-related foot complications and associated costs, as well as how diabetes complications, substance use disorders, and depression, affect workforce participation and productivity costs in Finland using national register data. Several foot-related complication pathways were identified that involved substantial healthcare costs. Moreover, nearly all chronic complications and comorbidities were found to increase the risk of early workforce exit, leading to significant productivity costs. These results are important because they help identify critical stages of disease progression and high-risk groups for whom timely and targeted interventions could maintain work ability and reduce the economic burden. The insights can inform healthcare planning and policy decisions, benefiting patients and society at large.
M.Sc. Olli Kurkela's doctoral dissertation, in the field of Health Economics, titled Leveraging Real-World Data to Analyze Healthcare and Productivity Costs – Studies on Diabetes Complications and Comorbidities, will be publicly examined at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Tampere University on 6 February 2026.
The Opponent will be Professor Miika Linna from University of Eastern Finland. The Custos will be Professor Leena Forma from the Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University.