Use of Primary Health Care Services Among Older Patients with and Without Diabetes

Overview

Journal BMC Prim Care

Specialties Health Services
Public Health

Date 2022 Sep 9

PMID 36085026

Authors

Anna-Kaisa Aro

Merja Karjalainen

Miia Tiihonen

Hannu Kautiainen

Juha Saltevo

Maija Haanpaa

Pekka Mantyselka

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the utilization of primary healthcare services by older patients with and without type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Electronic patient records were used to identify persons over 65 years of age with a diagnosis of diabetes. Two age- and sex-adjusted controls without diabetes were extracted for each person with diagnosis of diabetes. A health questionnaire was sent by mail to 527 people with diabetes and 890 controls. Of the persons who answered the questionnaire, 518 persons were randomly selected to participate in a health examination. The study group in this analysis consisted of 187 persons with diabetes and 176 persons without diabetes who attended the health examination. The data on primary health care utilization were extracted from electronic patient records one year before and one after the health examination.

Results: Before the onset of the study, the patients with diabetes had more doctor's appointments (p < 0.001), nurse's appointments (< 0.001) and laboratory tests taken (p < 0.001) than those without diabetes After 1-year follow-up period the patients with diabetes had more doctor's appointments (p = 0.002), nurse's appointments (p = 0.006), laboratory tests taken (p = 0.006) and inpatient care at the community hospital (p = 0.004) than patients without a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. The use of the community hospital increased significantly among patients with diabetes (ratio 2.50; 95% Cl 1.16-5.36) but not by patients without diabetes (ratio 0.91; 95% Cl 0.40.2.06). The number of nurse's appointments increased for patients without diabetes (ratio 1.31; 95% Cl 1.07-1.60) but not for those with diabetes (ratio 1.04; 95% Cl 0.88-1.24).

Conclusions: Patients with diabetes visit more often physicians and nurses compared with those without diabetes. During a 1-year follow-up, the use of community hospital care increased significantly among patients with diabetes. In addition to focusing on prevention and care of diabetes, these results suggest the importance of diabetes in planning community-based health care services.

Citing Articles

Is living alone associated with mortality among older primary care patients with or without diabetes?.

Aro A, Karjalainen M, Tiihonen M, Kautiainen H, Saltevo J, Haanpaa M BMC Prim Care. 2024; 25(1):398.

PMID: 39578742 PMC: 11583571. DOI: 10.1186/s12875-024-02651-7.

Accessibility and utilization of healthcare services among diabetic patients: Is diabetes a poor man's ailment?.

Eseadi C, Amedu A, Ilechukwu L, Ngwu M, Ossai O World J Diabetes. 2023; 14(10):1493-1501.

PMID: 37970126 PMC: 10642413. DOI: 10.4239/wjd.v14.i10.1493.

Use of primary health care services and mortality in older patients with type 2 diabetes with or without comorbidities.

Mellanen E, Kauppila T, Kautiainen H, Lehto M, Rahkonen O, Pitkala K Scand J Prim Health Care. 2023; 41(4):392-399.

PMID: 37706640 PMC: 11001330. DOI: 10.1080/02813432.2023.2255062.

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