scholarly journals Comparing the prevalence of multimorbidity using different operational definitions in primary care in Singapore based on a cross-sectional study using retrospective, large administrative data

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. e039440
Author(s):  
Yi An Janis Lee ◽  
Ying Xie ◽  
Poay Sian Sabrina Lee ◽  
Eng Sing Lee

ObjectivesMultimorbidity is a norm in primary care. A consensus on its operational definition remains lacking especially in the list of chronic conditions considered. This study aimed to compare six different operational definitions of multimorbidity previously reported in the literature for the context of primary care in Singapore.Design, setting and participantsThis is a retrospective study using anonymised primary care data from a study population of 787 446 patients. We defined multimorbidity as having three or more chronic conditions in an individual. The prevalence of single conditions and multimorbidity with each operational definition was tabulated and standardised prevalence rates (SPRs) were obtained by adjusting for age, sex and ethnicity. We compared the operational definitions based on (1) number of chronic diseases, (2) presence of chronic diseases of high burden and (3) relevance in primary care in Singapore. IBM SPSS V.23 and Microsoft Office Excel 2019 were used for all statistical calculations and analyses.ResultsThe SPRs of multimorbidity in primary care in Singapore varied from 5.7% to 17.2%. The lists by Fortin et al, Ge et al, Low et al and Quah et al included at least 12 chronic conditions, the recommended minimal number of conditions. Quah et al considered the highest proportion of chronic diseases (92.3%) of high burden in primary care in Singapore, with SPRs of at least 1.0%. Picco et al and Subramaniam et al considered the fewest number of conditions of high relevance in primary care in Singapore.ConclusionsFortin et al’s list of conditions is most suitable for describing multimorbidity in the Singapore primary care setting. Prediabetes and ‘physical disability’ should be added to Fortin et al’s list to augment its comprehensiveness. We propose a similar study methodology be performed in other countries to identify the most suitable operational definition in their own context.

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. e029340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Usnish B Majumdar ◽  
Christophe Hunt ◽  
Patrick Doupe ◽  
Aaron J Baum ◽  
David J Heller ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo (1) examine the burden of multiple chronic conditions (MCC) in an urban health system, and (2) propose a methodology to identify subpopulations of interest based on diagnosis groups and costs.DesignRetrospective cross-sectional study.SettingMount Sinai Health System, set in all five boroughs of New York City, USA.Participants192 085 adult (18+) plan members of capitated Medicaid contracts between the Healthfirst managed care organisation and the Mount Sinai Health System in the years 2012 to 2014.MethodsWe classified adults as having 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5+ chronic conditions from a list of 69 chronic conditions. After summarising the demographics, geography and prevalence of MCC within this population, we then described groups of patients (segments) using a novel methodology: we combinatorially defined 18 768 potential segments of patients by a pair of chronic conditions, a sex and an age group, and then ranked segments by (1) frequency, (2) cost and (3) ratios of observed to expected frequencies of co-occurring chronic conditions. We then compiled pairs of conditions that occur more frequently together than otherwise expected.Results61.5% of the study population suffers from two or more chronic conditions. The most frequent dyad was hypertension and hyperlipidaemia (19%) and the most frequent triad was diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia (10%). Women aged 50 to 65 with hypertension and hyperlipidaemia were the leading cost segment in the study population. Costs and prevalence of MCC increase with number of conditions and age. The disease dyads associated with the largest observed/expected ratios were pulmonary disease and myocardial infarction. Inter-borough range MCC prevalence was 16%.ConclusionsIn this low-income, urban population, MCC is more prevalent (61%) than nationally (42%), motivating further research and intervention in this population. By identifying potential target populations in an interpretable manner, this segmenting methodology has utility for health services analysts.


Author(s):  
Suliman Alghnam ◽  
Saleh A. Alessy ◽  
Mohamed Bosaad ◽  
Sarah Alzahrani ◽  
Ibrahim I. Al Alwan ◽  
...  

This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the prevalence of obesity and its association with diabetes and hypertension among beneficiaries in the National Guard Health Affairs system of Saudi Arabia. We included individuals aged 17 years and older, and patients were classified as diabetic or hypertensive if they had any visit during the 4 years where the primary diagnosis was one of those conditions or they were taking diabetes or hypertension medications. The association between obesity (body mass index ≥30) and diabetes and hypertension were evaluated using a multiple logistic regression model, adjusting for age, gender, nationality, and region. A total of 616,092 individuals were included. The majority were Saudi nationals (93.1%). Approximately 68% of the population were either obese (38.9%) or overweight (29.30%). Obesity was more prevalent among Saudi nationals (39.8% vs. 26.7%, p < 0.01) and females (45.3% vs. 31.2%, p < 0.01). Obesity was independently associated with diabetes mellitus (OR = 2.24, p < 0.01) and hypertension (OR = 2.15, p < 0.01). The prevalence of obesity in the study population was alarming and more pronounced among women. Our findings call for efforts to intensify preventive measures to reduce obesity and associated conditions. Using electronic records to examine the impact of interventions to reduce obesity and chronic conditions may help monitor and improve population health.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Bruun Larsen ◽  
Jens Sondergaard ◽  
Janus Laust Thomsen ◽  
Anders Halling ◽  
Anders Larrabee Sønderlund ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND During recent years, stepwise approaches to health checks have been advanced as an alternative to general health checks. In 2013, we set up the Early Detection and Prevention project (Tidlig Opsporing og Forebyggelse, TOF) to develop a stepwise approach aimed at patients at high or moderate risk of a chronic disease. A novel feature was the use of a personal digital mailbox for recruiting participants. A personal digital mailbox is a secure digital mailbox provided by the Danish public authorities. Apart from being both safe and secure, it is a low-cost, quick, and easy way to reach Danish residents. OBJECTIVE In this study we analyze the association between the rates of acceptance of 2 digital invitations sent to a personal digital mailbox and the sociodemographic determinants, medical treatment, and health care usage in a stepwise primary care model for the prevention of chronic diseases. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the rates of acceptance of 2 digital invitations sent to randomly selected residents born between 1957 and 1986 and residing in 2 Danish municipalities. The outcome was acceptance of the 2 digital invitations. Statistical associations were determined by Poisson regression. Data-driven chi-square automatic interaction detection method was used to generate a decision tree analysis, predicting acceptance of the digital invitations. RESULTS A total of 8814 patients received an invitation in their digital mailbox from 47 general practitioners. A total of 40.22% (3545/8814) accepted the first digital invitation, and 30.19 % (2661/8814) accepted both digital invitations. The rates of acceptance of both digital invitations were higher among women, older patients, patients of higher socioeconomic status, and patients not diagnosed with or being treated for diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or cardiovascular disease. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, this is the first study to report on the rates of acceptance of digital invitations to participate in a stepwise model for prevention of chronic diseases. More studies of digital invitations are needed to determine if the acceptance rates seen in this study should be expected from future studies as well. Similarly, more research is needed to determine whether a multimodal recruitment approach, including digital invitations to personal digital mailboxes will reach hard-to-reach subpopulations more effectively than digital invitations only.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cesar I. Fernandez-Lazaro ◽  
Juan M. García-González ◽  
David P. Adams ◽  
Diego Fernandez-Lazaro ◽  
Juan Mielgo-Ayuso ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Adherence to treatment, a public health issue, is of particular importance in chronic disease therapies. Primary care practices offer ideal venues for the effective care and management of these conditions. The aim of this study is to assess adherence to treatment and related-factors among patients with chronic conditions in primary care settings. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 299 adult patients with ≥1 chronic condition(s) and prescribed medication in primary healthcare centers of Spain. The Morisky-Green-Levine questionnaire was used to assess medication adherence via face-to-face interviews. Crude and adjusted multivariable logistic regression models were used to analyze factors associated with adherence using the Multidimensional Model proposed by the World Health Organization — social and economic, healthcare team and system-related, condition-related, therapy-related, and patient-related factors. Results The proportion of adherent patients to treatment was 55.5%. Older age (adjusted odds ratio 1.31 per 10-year increment, 95% CI 1.01–1.70), lower number of pharmacies used for medication refills (0.65, 95% CI 0.47–0.90), having received complete treatment information (3.89, 95% CI 2.09–7.21), having adequate knowledge about medication regimen (4.17, 95% CI 2.23–7.80), and self-perception of a good quality of life (2.17, 95% CI 1.18–4.02) were independent factors associated with adherence. Conclusions Adherence to treatment for chronic conditions remained low in primary care. Optimal achievement of appropriate levels of adherence through tailored multifaceted interventions will require attention to the multidimensional factors found in this study, particularly those related to patients’ education and their information needs.


BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. e013664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anouk Déruaz-Luyet ◽  
A Alexandra N'Goran ◽  
Nicolas Senn ◽  
Patrick Bodenmann ◽  
Jérôme Pasquier ◽  
...  

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. e031281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manel Mata-Cases ◽  
Josep Franch-Nadal ◽  
Jordi Real ◽  
Marta Cedenilla ◽  
Didac Mauricio

ObjectivesTo evaluate the prevalence and coprevalence of several chronic conditions in patients with type 2 diabetes in a Mediterranean region.DesignA cross-sectional study.SettingTwo hundred and eighty-six primary care teams of the Catalonian Health Institute (Catalonia, Spain).ParticipantsWe included patients aged ≥18 years with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes by 31 December, 2016, who were registered in the Information System for the Development of Research in primary care (SIDIAP) database. We excluded patients with a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, gestational diabetes mellitus and any other type of diabetes.Primary and secondary outcome measuresWe collected data on diabetes-related comorbidities (ie, chronic complications, associated cardiovascular risk factors and treatment complications). Diagnoses were based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10thRevision codes recorded in the database or, for some entities, on the cut-off points for a particular test result or a specific treatment indicated for that entity. The presence and stage of chronic kidney disease (CKD) were based on the glomerular filtration rate, the CKD Epidemiology Collaboration creatinine equation and the urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio.ResultsA total of 373 185 patients were analysed. 82% of patients exhibited ≥2 comorbidities and 31% exhibited ≥4 comorbidities. The most frequent comorbidities were hypertension (72%), hyperlipidaemia (60%), obesity (45%), CKD (33%), chronic renal failure (CRF)(28%) and cardiovascular disease (23%). The most frequently coprevalent pairs of chronic conditions were the combination of hypertension with hyperlipidaemia (45%), obesity (35%), CKD (28%), CRF (25%) or cardiovascular disease (19%), as well as the combination of hyperlipidaemia with obesity (28%), CKD (21%), CRF (18%) or cardiovascular disease (15%); other common pairs of comorbidities were obesity/CKD, obesity/CRF, hypertension/retinopathy, hypertension/albuminuria, hypertension/urinary tract infection, CVD/CRF and CVD/CKD, which were each present in more than 10% of patients.ConclusionPatients with type 2 diabetes have a high frequency of coprevalence of metabolic risk factors, cardiovascular disease and CKD and thus require an integrated management approach.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. e0238353
Author(s):  
Xiao Wei Tan ◽  
Ying Xie ◽  
Jeremy Kaiwei Lew ◽  
Poay Sian Sabrina Lee ◽  
Eng Sing Lee

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eng Sing Lee ◽  
Poay Sian Sabrina Lee ◽  
Ying Xie ◽  
Bridget L. Ryan ◽  
Martin Fortin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The prevalence of multimorbidity varies widely due to the lack of consensus in defining multimorbidity. This study aimed to measure the prevalence of multimorbidity in a primary care setting using two definitions of multimorbidity with two different lists of chronic conditions. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of 787,446 patients, aged 0 to 99 years, who consulted a family physician between July 2015 to June 2016. Multimorbidity was defined as ‘two or more’ (MM2+) or ‘three or more’ (MM3+) chronic conditions using the Fortin list and Chronic Disease Management Program (CDMP) list of chronic conditions. Crude and standardised prevalence rates were reported, and the corresponding age, sex or ethnic-stratified standardised prevalence rates were adjusted to the local population census. Results The number of patients with multimorbidity increased with age. Age-sex-ethnicity standardised prevalence rates of multimorbidity using MM2+ and MM3+ for Fortin list (25.9, 17.2%) were higher than those for CDMP list (22.0%; 12.4%). Sex-stratified, age-ethnicity standardised prevalence rates for MM2+ and MM3+ were consistently higher in males compared to females for both lists. Chinese and Indians have the highest standardised prevalence rates among the four ethnicities using MM2+ and MM3+ respectively. Conclusions MM3+ was better at identifying a smaller number of patients with multimorbidity requiring higher needs compared to MM2+. Using the Fortin list seemed more appropriate than the CDMP list because the chronic conditions in Fortin’s list were more commonly seen in primary care. A consistent definition of multimorbidity will help researchers and clinicians to understand the epidemiology of multimorbidity better.


BJGP Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. bjgpopen18X101622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilli Herzig ◽  
Yolanda Mueller ◽  
Dagmar M Haller ◽  
Andreas Zeller ◽  
Stefan Neuner-Jehle ◽  
...  

BackgroundManaging multiple chronic and acute conditions in patients with multimorbidity requires setting medical priorities. How family practitioners (FPs) rank medical priorities between highly, moderately, or rarely prevalent chronic conditions (CCs) has never been described. The authors hypothesised that there was no relationship between the prevalence of CCs and their medical priority ranking in individual patients with multimorbidity.AimTo describe FPs’ medical priority ranking of conditions relative to their prevalence in patients with multimorbidity.Design & settingThis cross-sectional study of 100 FPs in Switzerland included patients with ≥3 CCs on a predefined list of 75 items from the International Classification of Primary Care 2 (ICPC-2); other conditions could be added. FPs ranked all conditions by their medical priority.MethodPriority ranking and distribution were calculated for each condition separately and for the top three priorities together.ResultsThe sample contained 888 patients aged 28–98 years (mean 73), of which 48.2% were male. Included patients had 3–19 conditions (median 7; interquantile range [IQR] 6–9). FPs used 74/75 CCs from the predefined list, of which 27 were highly prevalent (>5%). In total, 336 different conditions were recorded. Highly prevalent CCs were only the top medical priority in 66%, and the first three priorities in 33%, of cases. No correlation was found between prevalence and the ranking of medical priorities.ConclusionFPs faced a great diversity of different conditions in their patients with multimorbidity, with nearly every condition being found at nearly every rank of medical priority, depending on the patient. Medical priority ranking was independent of the prevalence of CCs.


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