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- Del Cura-González, Isabel, et al.
(author)
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How to Improve Healthcare for Patients with Multimorbidity and Polypharmacy in Primary Care : A Pragmatic Cluster-Randomized Clinical Trial of the MULTIPAP Intervention
- 2022
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In: Journal of Personalized Medicine. - : MDPI AG. - 2075-4426. ; 12:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- (1) Purpose: To investigate a complex MULTIPAP intervention that implements the Ariadne principles in a primary care population of young-elderly patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy and to evaluate its effectiveness for improving the appropriateness of prescriptions. (2) Methods: A pragmatic cluster-randomized clinical trial was conducted involving 38 family practices in Spain. Patients aged 65-74 years with multimorbidity and polypharmacy were recruited. Family physicians (FPs) were randomly allocated to continue usual care or to provide the MULTIPAP intervention based on the Ariadne principles with two components: FP training (eMULTIPAP) and FP patient interviews. The primary outcome was the appropriateness of prescribing, measured as the between-group difference in the mean Medication Appropriateness Index (MAI) score change from the baseline to the 6-month follow-up. The secondary outcomes were quality of life (EQ-5D-5L), patient perceptions of shared decision making (collaboRATE), use of health services, treatment adherence, and incidence of drug adverse events (all at 1 year), using multi-level regression models, with FP as a random effect. (3) Results: We recruited 117 FPs and 593 of their patients. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the between-group difference for the mean MAI score change after a 6-month follow-up was -2.42 (95% CI from -4.27 to -0.59) and, between baseline and a 12-month follow-up was -3.40 (95% CI from -5.45 to -1.34). There were no significant differences in any other secondary outcomes. (4) Conclusions: The MULTIPAP intervention improved medication appropriateness sustainably over the follow-up time. The small magnitude of the effect, however, advises caution in the interpretation of the results given the paucity of evidence for the clinical benefit of the observed change in the MAI.
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- Andres Gimeno-Feliu, Luis, et al.
(author)
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Multimorbidity and immigrant status : associations with area of origin and length of residence in host country
- 2017
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In: Family Practice. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0263-2136 .- 1460-2229. ; 34:6, s. 662-666
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aim. Multimorbidity is a growing phenomenon in primary care, and knowledge of the influence of social determinants on its evolution is vital. The aim of this study was to understand the relationship between multimorbidity and immigration, taking into account length of residence in the host country and area of origin of the immigrant population. Methods. Cross-sectional retrospective study of all adult patients registered within the public health service of Aragon, Spain (N = 1 092 279; 144 238 were foreign-born), based on data from the EpiChron Cohort. Age-standardized prevalence rates of multimorbidity were calculated. Different models of binary logistic regressions were conducted to study the association between multimorbidity, immigrant status and length of residence in the host country. Results. The risk of multimorbidity in foreign-borns was lower than that of native-borns [odds ratio (OR): 0.54, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.53-0.55]. The probability of experiencing multimorbidity was lowest for Asians (OR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.31-0.37) and Eastern Europeans (OR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.40-0.43), and highest for Latin Americans (OR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.68-0.72). Foreign-born immigrants residing in Aragon for >= 5 years had a higher multimorbidity risk than those residing for < 5 years (OR: 2.3, 95% CI: 2.2-2.4). Conclusion. Prevalence of multimorbidity is lower among foreign-borns as compared with native-borns, but increases rapidly with length of residence in the host country. However, the progressive development of multimorbidity among immigrants varies widely depending on area of origin. These findings provide important insight into the health care needs of specific population groups and may help minimize the negative impact of multimorbidity among the most vulnerable groups.
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- Calderón-Larrañaga, Amaia, et al.
(author)
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Assessing and Measuring Chronic Multimorbidity in the Older Population : A Proposal for Its Operationalization
- 2017
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In: The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1079-5006 .- 1758-535X. ; 72:10, s. 1417-1423
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundAlthough the definition of multimorbidity as the simultaneous presence of two or more chronic diseases is well established, its operationalization is not yet agreed. This study aims to provide a clinically driven comprehensive list of chronic conditions to be included when measuring multimorbidity. MethodsBased on a consensus definition of chronic disease, all four-digit level codes from the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) were classified as chronic or not by an international and multidisciplinary team. Chronic ICD-10 codes were subsequently grouped into broader categories according to clinical criteria. Last, we showed proof of concept by applying the classification to older adults from the Swedish National study of Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K) using also inpatient data from the Swedish National Patient Register.ResultsA disease or condition was considered to be chronic if it had a prolonged duration and either (a) left residual disability or worsening quality of life or (b) required a long period of care, treatment, or rehabilitation. After applying this definition in relation to populations of older adults, 918 chronic ICD-10 codes were identified and grouped into 60 chronic disease categories. In SNAC-K, 88.6% had >= 2 of these 60 disease categories, 73.2% had >= 3, and 55.8% had >= 4.ConclusionsThis operational measure of multimorbidity, which can be implemented using either or both clinical and administrative data, may facilitate its monitoring and international comparison. Once validated, it may enable the advancement and evolution of conceptual and theoretical aspects of multimorbidity that will eventually lead to better care.
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4. |
- Gimeno-Feliu, Luis Andrés, et al.
(author)
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Multimorbidity and chronic diseases among undocumented migrants : evidence to contradict the myths
- 2020
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In: International Journal for Equity in Health. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1475-9276. ; 19:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: There is little verified information on the global health status of undocumented migrants (UMs). Our aim is to compare the prevalence of the main chronic diseases and of multimorbidity in undocumented migrants, documented migrants, and Spanish nationals in a Spanish autonomous community.Methods: Retrospective observational study of all users of the public health system of the region of Aragon over 1 year (2011): 930,131 Spanish nationals; 123,432 documented migrants (DMs); and 17,152 UMs. Binary logistic regression was performed to examine the association between migrant status (Spanish nationals versus DMs and UMs) and both multimorbidity and individual chronic diseases, adjusting for age and sex.Results: The prevalence of individual chronic diseases in UMs was lower than in DMs and much lower than in Spanish nationals. Comparison with the corresponding group of Spanish nationals revealed odds ratios (OR) of 0.1-0.3 and 0.3-0.5 for male and female UMs, respectively (p < 0.05 in all cases). The risk of multimorbidity was lower for UMs than DMs, both for men (OR, 0.12; 95%CI 0.11-0.13 versus OR, 0.53; 95%CI 0.51-0.54) and women (OR, 0.18; 95%CI 0.16-0.20 versus OR, 0.74; 95%CI 0.72-0.75).Conclusions: Analysis of data from a health system that offers universal coverage to all immigrants, irrespective of legal status, reveals that the prevalence of chronic disease and multimorbidity is lower in UMs as compared with both DMs and Spanish nationals. These findings refute previous claims that the morbidity burden in UM populations is higher than that of the native population of the host country.
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5. |
- Gimeno-Feliu, Luis Andrés, et al.
(author)
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Overuse or underuse? Use of healthcare services among irregular migrants in a north-eastern Spanish region
- 2021
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In: International Journal for Equity in Health. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1475-9276. ; 20:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: There is little verified information on global healthcare utilization by irregular migrants. Understanding how immigrants use healthcare services based on their needs is crucial to establish effective health policy. We compared healthcare utilization between irregular migrants, documented migrants, and Spanish nationals in a Spanish autonomous community.Methods: This retrospective, observational study included the total adult population of Aragon, Spain: 930,131 Spanish nationals; 123,432 documented migrants; and 17,152 irregular migrants. Healthcare utilization data were compared between irregular migrants, documented migrants and Spanish nationals for the year 2011. Multivariable standard or zero-inflated negative binomial regression models were generated, adjusting for age, sex, length of stay, and morbidity burden.Results: The average annual use of healthcare services was lower for irregular migrants than for documented migrants and Spanish nationals at all levels of care analyzed: primary care (0.5 vs 4 vs 6.7 visits); specialized care (0.2 vs 1.8 vs 2.9 visits); planned hospital admissions (0.3 vs 2 vs 4.23 per 100 individuals), unplanned hospital admissions (0.5 vs 3.5 vs 5.2 per 100 individuals), and emergency room visits (0.4 vs 2.8 vs 2.8 per 10 individuals). The average annual prescription drug expenditure was also lower for irregular migrants (euro9) than for documented migrants (euro77) and Spanish nationals (euro367). These differences were only partially attenuated after adjusting for age, sex, and morbidity burden.Conclusions: Under conditions of equal access, healthcare utilization is much lower among irregular migrants than Spanish nationals (and lower than that of documented migrants), regardless of country of origin or length of stay in Spain.
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- Gimeno-Miguel, Antonio, et al.
(author)
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Multimorbidity patterns in patients with heart failure : an observational Spanish study based on electronic health records
- 2019
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In: BMJ Open. - : BMJ. - 2044-6055. ; 9:12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives To characterise the comorbidities of heart failure (HF) in men and women, to explore their clustering into multimorbidity patterns, and to measure the impact of such patterns on the risk of hospitalisation and mortality.Design Observational retrospective population study based on electronic health records.Setting EpiChron Cohort (Aragon, Spain).Participants All the primary and hospital care patients of the EpiChron Cohort with a diagnosis of HF on 1 January 2011 (ie, 8488 women and 6182 men). We analysed all the chronic diseases registered in patients electronic health records until 31 December 2011.Primary outcome We performed an exploratory factor analysis to identify the multimorbidity patterns in men and women, and logistic and Cox proportional-hazards regressions to investigate the association between the patterns and the risk of hospitalisation in 2012, and of 3-year mortality.Results Almost all HF patients (98%) had multimorbidity, with an average of 7.8 chronic diseases per patient. We identified six different multimorbidity patterns, named cardiovascular, neurovascular, coronary, metabolic, degenerative and respiratory. The most prevalent were the degenerative (64.0%) and cardiovascular (29.9%) patterns in women, and the metabolic (49.3%) and cardiovascular (43.2%) patterns in men. Every pattern was associated with higher hospitalisation risks; and the cardiovascular, neurovascular and respiratory patterns significantly increased the likelihood of 3-year mortality.Conclusions Multimorbidity is the norm rather than the exception in patients with heart failure, whose comorbidities tend to cluster together beyond simple chance in the form of multimorbidity patterns that have different impact on health outcomes. This knowledge could be useful to better understand common pathophysiological pathways underlying this condition and its comorbidities, and the factors influencing the prognosis of men and women with HF. Further large scale longitudinal studies are encouraged to confirm the existence of these patterns as well as their differential impact on health outcomes.
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