Healthcare utilization, pharmacotherapy prescriptions, and clinical outcomes across a 5-year duration preceding and succeeding the initiation of home health care in a nationwide population-based cohort of 187,547 older adults with disabilities.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Longitudinal trajectories of healthcare utilization, medication prescription, and clinical outcomes among older adults with disabilities receiving home healthcare (HHC) holds significance but remains elusive.

Methods

People aged≥65 years who newly received Taiwan's National Health Insurance funded HHC program from January 2005 to December 2013 were identified. Healthcare utilization, life-sustaining treatment, medication prescriptions (polypharmacy, psychotropics, anticholinergic burden and antibiotics), health status (Charlson's comorbidity index, CCI), and mortality were assessed over a 10-year period spanning 5 years before and after initiating HHC.

Results

Overall, 187,547 patients (80.6 ± 7.7 years, 51.2 % females, CCI 3+: 51.2 %) with a high prevalenc

SUBMITTER: Huang ST 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12399232 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature