scholarly journals Associations of primary care structures with polypharmacy and patient-reported indicators in patients with complex multimorbidity: a multicentre cross-sectional study in Japan

BMJ Open ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. e054348
Author(s):  
Takuya Aoki ◽  
Yasuki Fujinuma ◽  
Masato Matsushima

ObjectivesEvidence supporting the effects of primary care structures on the quality of care for patients with complex multimorbidity, which is one of the most important challenges facing primary care, is scarce internationally. This study aimed to examine the associations of the types of primary care facilities with polypharmacy and patient-reported indicators in patients with complex multimorbidity, with a focus on differences between community clinics and hospitals.DesignMulticentre cross-sectional study.SettingA total of 25 primary care facilities (19 community clinics and 6 small- and medium-sized hospitals).ParticipantsAdult outpatients with complex multimorbidity, which was defined as the co-occurrence of three or more chronic conditions affecting three or more different body systems within one person.Primary outcome measurePolypharmacy, the Patient-Reported Experience Measure using the Japanese version of Primary Care Assessment Tool Short Form (JPCAT-SF) and the Patient-Reported Outcome Measure using self-rated health status (SRH).ResultsData were analysed for 492 patients with complex multimorbidity. After adjustment for possible confounders and clustering within facilities, clinic-based primary care practices were significantly associated with a lower prevalence of polypharmacy, higher JPCAT-SF scores in coordination and community orientation, and a lower prevalence of poor or fair SRH compared with hospital-based primary care practices. In contrast, the JPCAT-SF score in first contact was significantly lower in clinic-based practices. The associations between the types of primary care facilities and JPCAT-SF scores in longitudinality and comprehensiveness were not statistically significant.ConclusionsClinic-based primary care practices were associated with a lower prevalence of polypharmacy, better patient experience of coordination and community orientation, and better SRH in patients with complex multimorbidity compared with hospital-based primary care practices. In the primary care setting, small and tight teams may improve the quality of care for patients with complex multimorbidity.

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 561-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aminu K. Bello ◽  
Paul E. Ronksley ◽  
Navdeep Tangri ◽  
Julia Kurzawa ◽  
Mohamed A. Osman ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 373-378
Author(s):  
Takuya Aoki ◽  
Shunichi Fukuhara

Abstract Objective To examine the association between primary care facility types and the quality of preventive care, especially adult vaccination and cancer screening, with a focus on the differences between community clinics and hospitals. Design Multicenter cross-sectional study. Setting A primary care practice-based research network in Japan (25 primary care facilities). Participants Adult outpatients for whom the participating facility serves as their usual source of care. Intervention None. Main Outcome Measures Influenza and pneumococcal vaccination delivery and performance of colorectal, breast and cervical cancer screening. Results Data collected from 1725 primary care outpatients were analyzed. After adjustment of possible confounders and clustering within facilities, hospital-based practices were significantly associated with poorer uptake of influenza [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.64, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.42–0.96] and pneumococcal vaccines (aOR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.40–0.75) and colorectal cancer screening (aOR = 0.59, 95% CI 0.39–0.88) compared with clinic-based practices. In contrast, the associations of types of primary care facilities with uptake of breast and cervical cancer screening were not statistically significant. Conclusions Differences in the performance of adult vaccination and cancer screening raised concerns about the provision of preventive care at hospital-based compared with clinic-based primary care practices. Efforts to improve preventive care at hospital-based primary care practices should help to promote equalization of the quality of primary care. Further study is needed on the comparisons of other quality indicators among different structures of primary care facilities.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. e046638
Author(s):  
Sk Masum Billah ◽  
Abdullah Nurus Salam Khan ◽  
S M Rokonuzzaman ◽  
Nafisa Lira Huq ◽  
Marufa Aziz Khan ◽  
...  

Study objectiveTo evaluate the competency of trained health workers in detecting and managing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy during routine antenatal check-ups (ANCs) at primary care facilities in Bangladesh.Study design and settingsCross-sectional study; conducted in 26 primary care facilities.Outcome measuresAccurate diagnosis of the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.MethodIn total 1560 ANC consultations provided by primary health workers, known as Family Welfare Visitors (FWVs), were observed using a structured checklist between October 2017 and February 2018. All consultations were reassessed by study physicians for validation.ResultOf the ‘true’ cases of gestational hypertension (n=32), pre-eclampsia (n=29) and severe pre-eclampsia (n=16), only 3%, 7% and 25%, respectively, were correctly diagnosed by FWVs. Per cent agreement for the diagnosed cases of any hypertensive disorders of pregnancy was 9% and kappa statistics was 0.50 (p value 0.0125). For identification of any hypertensive disorders by FWVs, sensitivity and positive predictive values were 14% and 50%, respectively. There was a moderate positive correlation between the blood pressure measurements taken by FWVs and study physicians. Only 27% of those who had ‘some protein’ in urine were correctly identified by FWVs. Women diagnosed with any of the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy by FWVs were more likely to be counselled on at least one danger sign of pre-eclampsia (severe headache, blurring of vision and upper abdominal pain) than those without any such diagnosis (41% vs 19%, p value 0.008). All four cases of severe pre-eclampsia diagnosed by FWVs were given a loading dose of intramuscular magnesium sulphate and three among them were referred to a higher facility.ConclusionThe FWVs should be appropriately trained on risk assessment of pregnant women with particular emphasis on accurately assessing the diagnostic criteria of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and its management.


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