Associations between continuity of primary and specialty physician care and use of hospital-based care among community-dwelling older adults with complex care needs.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

While research suggests that higher continuity of primary and specialty physician care can improve patient outcomes, their effects have rarely been examined and compared concurrently. We investigated associations between continuity of primary and specialty physician care and emergency department visits and hospital admissions among community-dwelling older adults with complex care needs.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of home care patients in Ontario, Canada, from October 2014 to September 2016. We measured continuity of primary and specialty physician care over the two years prior to a home care assessment and categorized them into low, medium, and high groups using terciles of the distribution. We used Cox regression models to concurrently test

SUBMITTER: Jones A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7304563 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature