scholarly journals Health anxiety in Australia: prevalence, comorbidity, disability and service use

2013 ◽  
Vol 202 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Sunderland ◽  
Jill M. Newby ◽  
Gavin Andrews
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Clinical Investigation ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Health Anxiety ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Health Service Utilisation ◽  
Service Utilisation ◽  
Australian Population

BackgroundHealth anxiety is associated with high distress, disability and increased health service utilisation. However, there are relatively few epidemiological studies examining the extent of health anxiety or the associated sociodemographic and health risk factors in the general population.AimsTo provide epidemiological data on health anxiety in the Australian population.MethodLifetime and current prevalence estimates, associations between comorbid disorders, psychological distress, impairment, disability and mental health service utilisation were generated using the Australian 2007 National Survey of Mental Hearth and Wellbeing.ResultsHealth anxiety affects approximately 5.7% of the Australian population across the lifespan and 3.4% met criteria for health anxiety at the time of the interview. Age, employment status, smoking status and comorbid physical conditions were significantly related to health anxiety symptoms. Health anxiety was associated with significantly more distress, impairment, disability and health service utilisation than that found in respondents without health anxiety.ConclusionsHearth anxiety is non-trivial; it affects a significant proportion of the population and further research and clinical investigation of health anxiety is required.

Patterns of health service utilisation among the Australian population with cancer compared with the general population

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huah Shin Ng ◽  
Bogda Koczwara ◽  
David Roder ◽  
Raymond Javan Chan ◽  
Agnes Vitry
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Health Service Utilisation ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Service Utilisation ◽  
Australian Population ◽  
Delivery Of Care ◽  
Barriers And Enablers

Objective The aim of this study was to describe patterns of health service utilisation among the Australian population with cancer compared with the general population. Methods Data for all respondents aged ≥25 years from two successive National Health Surveys conducted between 2011 and 2014 were analysed. Respondents with a history of cancer were identified as the cancer group, whereas all other respondents who did not report having had a cancer were included in the non-cancer control group. Comparisons were made between the two groups using logistic regression models. Results The population with cancer was more likely to report having consulted their general practitioner, specialist, chemist, dietician, naturopath, nurse, optometrist, dentist, audiologist and other health professionals than the non-cancer population. The cancer population was also more likely to be admitted to hospital and to have visited an out-patient clinic, emergency department and day clinic. The presence of comorbidity and a current cancer were associated with a greater likelihood of receiving health services among the population with cancer. Conclusion The population with cancer used health services significantly more than the non-cancer population. Further studies are urgently needed to identify optimal approaches to delivery of care for this population, including barriers and enablers for their implementation. What is known about the topic? Multimorbidity is highly prevalent among the cancer population due to risk factors shared between cancer and other chronic diseases, and the development of new conditions resulting from cancer treatment and cancer complications. However, the Australian healthcare system is not set up optimally to address issues related to multimorbidity. What does this paper add? This study is the first step in quantifying health services use by the population with cancer compared with the general population without cancer. Cancer survivors have an increased need for specific health services, particularly among those with multimorbidity. What are the implications for practitioners? The development of integrated care models to manage multiple chronic diseases aligned with the Australian National Strategic Framework for Chronic Conditions is warranted. Further studies are urgently needed to identify optimal approaches to delivery of care for this population, including barriers and enablers for their implementation.

scholarly journals Profiles and trajectories of mental health service utilisation during Early Intervention in Psychosis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ciarán O'Driscoll ◽  
Madiha Shaikh ◽  
Chloe Finamore ◽  
Bradley Platt ◽  
Sofia Pappa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Early Intervention ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Health Service Utilisation ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Service Utilisation ◽  
Utilisation Data ◽  
Early Intervention In Psychosis

Background Early intervention in psychosis services (EIS) support individuals experiencing a first episode of psychosis. Support required will vary in response to the remittance and reoccurrence of symptoms, including relapses. Characterising individuals who will need more intensive support can inform care planning. This study explores service utilisation profiles and their trajectories of service use in a sample of individuals referred to EIS.Method We analysed the different services accessed during the 3 years following referral to EIS for individuals (n = 2363) in West London between 2011 and 2020. Mental health service utilisation data were submitted to model-based clustering. Latent growth models were estimated for identified profiles. Profiles were compared regarding clinical and demographic characteristics and onward pathways of care.Results: Analyses revealed 5 profiles of individuals attending EIS based on their service utilisation over 3 years. 55.5% of the sample were members of a low utilisation and less clinically severe profile. The distinct service use patterns of these profiles were associated with baseline HoNOS scores (at the total, subscale, and individual item level), along with age and gender. These patterns of use were also associated with onward care and ethnicity.Conclusions: Profiles and trajectories of service utilisation call for the development of integrated care pathways and the use of personalised interventions. Services should consider patient symptoms and characteristics when making clinical decisions informing the provision of care. The profiles represent typical patterns of service use, and identifying factors associated with these subgroups might help optimise EIS support.

scholarly journals Health literacy and age-related health-care utilisation: a multi-dimensional approach

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Joachim Gerich ◽  
Robert Moosbrugger ◽  
Christoph Heigl
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Care Utilisation ◽  
Health Service Utilisation ◽  
Service Utilisation ◽  
Significant Interaction Effect ◽  
Medication Costs ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Care Utilisation ◽  
Health Related

Abstract Inefficient health service utilisation puts pressure on health systems and may cause such negative individual consequences as over-medicalisation or exacerbation of health problems. While previous research has considered the key relevance of health literacy (HL) for efficient use of health services, the results of that research have been somewhat inconclusive. Possible reasons for diverging results of prior research may be grounded in different measurement concepts of HL and the disregarding of age-specific effects. This paper analyses the association between individuals’ HL typology based on a two-dimensional concept and indicators of health service utilisation measured by registered data covering the number of doctor visits and medication costs. Our results confirm a significant interaction effect between age and HL typology. The age-related increase in health service utilisation is strongest for individuals with the combination of high subjective HL but low health-related knowledge, while the smallest increase is for individuals with the constellation of high subjective HL combined with high health-related knowledge. Individuals with specific constellations of HL (that is, individuals with high subjective HL but low health-related knowledge) are associated with reduced service utilisation in younger ages but higher service utilisation in later stages of life, compared to other groups. These results are likely to be attributed to a higher external health-related locus of control and more traditional paternalistic role expectations in such groups.

scholarly journals The Stepping On Fall Prevention Program Scale-Up in NSW: Program Reach and Fall-Related Health Service Use

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Serene S Paul ◽  
Qiang Li ◽  
Lara Harvey ◽  
Therese Carroll ◽  
Annabel Priddis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Fall Prevention ◽  
Prevention Program ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Service Utilisation ◽  
Program Outcomes ◽  
Fall Prevention Program ◽  
Routinely Collected Data

IntroductionFalls in older adults are associated with increased healthcare costs. Falls may be prevented or minimised with multifactorial interventions including exercise and behavioural modification. Objectives and ApproachTo describe the reach of the scale-up of Stepping On, a fall prevention program targeting community-dwellers aged 65 years and older in NSW, Australia; and fall-related ambulance service use and fall-related hospitalisations after scale-up. Routinely-collected data on program reach, fall-related ambulance usage and fall-related hospital admissions in NSW residents aged ≥65 years between 2009 and 2015 were compared within Statistical Local Areas prior to and following implementation of Stepping On using multilevel models. ResultsFrom 2009 to 2014 the program was delivered in 1,077 sites to 10,096 people with an average (SD) age of 81.0 (7.2) years. Rates of fall-related ambulance use and hospital admissions per 100-person-years were 1-2 in people aged 66-74, 4-5 in people aged 75-84 and 12-13 in people aged ≥85. These rates increased over time (p<.001). Overall, the interaction between time and program delivery was not significant for fall-related ambulance use or hospital admissions. The time-related increase in fall-related ambulance usage in people aged 75-84 years may have been moderated by Stepping On (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.93–1.00, p=.045). Conclusion / ImplicationsThere was no indication of either a reduced rate of fall-related ambulance use or hospital admissions across the entire sample. There was a suggestion of a reduction in ambulance call-outs for falls in people aged 75-84. The lack of a detectable impact on fall-related health service usage may be due to the use of routinely collected data not intended for research purposes or inability to remove those who would be ineligible for Stepping On from the data analyses. Increasing the program reach and targeting groups contributing most to health service utilisation may improve program outcomes.

Patterns in Health Service Utilisation and Healthcare Entitlements

2020 ◽  
pp. 83-99
Author(s):  
Lorna Roe ◽  
Christine McGarrigle ◽  
Belinda Hernandez ◽  
Aisling O'Halloran ◽  
Siobhan Scarlett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Health Service Utilisation ◽  
Service Utilisation
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