Dataset Information

Fragmentation of ambulatory care among older adults: an exhaustive database study in an ageing city in Japan.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Continuity of care is a core dimension of primary care, and better continuity is associated with better patient outcomes. Therefore, care fragmentation can be an indicator to assess the quality of primary care, especially in countries without formal gatekeeping system, such as Japan. Thus, this study aimed to describe care fragmentation among older adults in an ageing city in Japan.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

The most populated basic municipality in Japan.

Participants

Older adults aged 75 years and older.

Interventions

This study used a health claims database, including older adults who visited medical facilities at least four times a year in an urban city in Japan. The Fragmentation of Care Index (FCI) was used as an indicator of fragmentation. The FCI was developed from the Continuity of Care Index and is based on the total number of visits, different institutions visited and proportion of visits to each institution. We employed Tobit regression analysis to examine the association between the FCI and age, sex, type of insurance and most frequently visited facility.

Results

The total number of participants was 413 600. The median age of the study population was 81 years, and 41.6% were men. The study population visited an average of 3.42 clinics/hospitals, and the maximum number of visited institutions was 20. The proportion of patients with FCI >0 was 85.0%, with a mean of 0.583. Multivariable analysis showed that patients receiving public assistance had a lower FCI compared with patients not receiving public assistance, with a coefficient of 0.137.

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate care fragmentation in Japan. Over 80% of the participants visited two or more medical facilities, and their mean FCI was 0.583. The FCI could be a basic indicator for assessing the quality of primary care.

SUBMITTER: Kaneko M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9379480 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Fragmentation of ambulatory care among older adults: an exhaustive database study in an ageing city in Japan.

Kaneko Makoto M Shinoda Satoru S Shimizu Sayuri S Kuroki Makoto M Nakagami Sachiko S Chiba Taiga T Goto Atsushi A

BMJ open 20220811 8

<h4>Objectives</h4>Continuity of care is a core dimension of primary care, and better continuity is associated with better patient outcomes. Therefore, care fragmentation can be an indicator to assess the quality of primary care, especially in countries without formal gatekeeping system, such as Japan. Thus, this study aimed to describe care fragmentation among older adults in an ageing city in Japan.<h4>Design</h4>Cross-sectional study.<h4>Setting</h4>The most populated basic municipality in Ja ...[more]

PMID: 35953252

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Project description:BackgroundMore fragmented ambulatory care (i.e., care spread across many providers without a dominant provider) has been associated with more subsequent healthcare utilization (such as more tests, procedures, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations) than less fragmented ambulatory care. It is not known if race and socioeconomic status are associated with fragmented ambulatory care.MethodsWe conducted a longitudinal analysis of data from the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, using the REGARDS baseline visit plus the first year of follow-up. We included participants ≥65 years old, who had linked fee-for-service Medicare claims, and ≥ 4 ambulatory visits in the first year of follow-up. We used Tobit regression to determine the associations between race, annual household income, and educational attainment at baseline and fragmentation score in the subsequent year (as measured with the reversed Bice-Boxerman Index). Covariates included other demographic characteristics, medical conditions, medication use, health behaviors, and psychosocial variables. Additional analyses categorized visits by the type of provider (primary care vs. specialist).ResultsThe study participants (N = 6799) had an average age of 73.0 years, 53% were female, and 30% were black. Nearly half had low annual household income (<$35,000) and 41% had a high school education or less. Overall, participants had a median of 10 ambulatory visits to 4 providers in the 12 months following their baseline study visit. Participants in the highest quintile of fragmentation scores had a median of 11 visits to 7 providers. Black race was associated with an absolute adjusted 3% lower fragmentation score compared to white race (95% confidence interval (2% lower to 4% lower; p < 0.001). This difference was explained by blacks seeing fewer specialists than whites. Income and education were not independent predictors of fragmentation scores.ConclusionsAmong Medicare beneficiaries, blacks had less fragmented ambulatory care than whites, due to lower utilization of specialty care. Future research is needed to determine the effect of fragmented care on health outcomes for blacks and whites.

Project description:BACKGROUND:An increasing number of people are living with multiple chronic conditions and it is unclear which quality indicators should be used to guide care for this population. OBJECTIVE:To critically appraise and select the most appropriate set of quality indicators for ambulatory care for older adults with five selected disease combinations. METHODS:A two-round web-based Delphi process was used to critically appraise and select quality of care indicators for older adults with diabetes and comorbidities. A fifteen-member Canadian expert panel with broad geographical and clinical representation participated in this study. The panel evaluated process indicators for meaningfulness, potential for improvements in clinical practice, and overall value of inclusion, while outcome indicators were evaluated for importance, modifiability and overall value of inclusion. A 70% agreement threshold was required for high consensus, and 60-69% for moderate consensus as measured on a 5-point Likert type scale. RESULTS:Twenty high-consensus and nineteen medium-consensus process and outcome indicators were selected for assessing care for older adults with selected disease combinations, including 1) concordant (conditions with a common management plan), 2) discordant (conditions with unrelated management plans), and 3) both types. Panelists reached rapid consensus on quality indicators for care for older adults with concordant comorbid conditions, but not for those with discordant conditions. All selected indicators assess clinical aspects of care. The feedback from the panelists emphasized the importance of developing indicators related to patient-centred aspects of care, including patient self-management, education, patient-physician relationships, and patient's preferences. CONCLUSIONS:The selected quality indicators are not intended to provide a comprehensive tool set for measuring quality of care for older adults with selected disease combinations. The recommended indicators address clinical aspects of care and can be used as a starting point for ambulatory care settings and development of additional quality indicators.

Dataset Information

Fragmentation of ambulatory care among older adults: an exhaustive database study in an ageing city in Japan.

Objectives

Design

Setting

Participants

Interventions

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Fragmentation of ambulatory care among older adults: an exhaustive database study in an ageing city in Japan.

Similar Datasets

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