Relationship between multimorbidity and direct healthcare costs in an advanced elderly population. Results of the PRISCUS trial.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this work was to analyze the impact of the extent of multimorbidity on health service resource utilization and, thus, direct healthcare costs of advanced elderly in the German population. METHODS: Based on a cross-sectional sample aged 72 or above in Germany (n = 1,937), a bottom-up study assessing resource utilization and corresponding costs was performed. Main data sources were patient-reported information concerning morbidity and health service resource utilization administered via telephone interviews within the framework of the PRISCUS trial. To value resource utilization, unit costs were determined for all services under consideration. In order to estimate the impact of multimorbidity on mean annual direct costs, a cumulative multimorbidity index was constructed. Influencing factors on annual average costs were identified via multivariate linear regression models. RESULTS: Mean annual direct costs of 3,315 EUR (95% confidence interval (CI) 3,118; 3,512) at 2010 prices were caused by the involved patients: 25% of mean annual costs were due to inpatient care, 20% to outpatient physician services, 20% to pharmaceuticals, 12% to assisted living and transportation, 8% to healthcare products and dentures, 7% to rehabilitation services, 5% to outpatient nonphysician providers, and 3% to spending from compulsory long-term care insurance. Each additional comorbidity was accompanied by a cost increase of 563 EUR (95% CI 488; 638). Participants with no diseases mentioned in the multimorbidity index caused average annual costs of 1,250 EUR. In contrast, respondents with 10 + diseases caused the highest mean annual costs of 6,862 EUR. CONCLUSION: Longer life expectancy has become commonplace and is often associated with the simultaneous occurrence of several diseases. A clear understanding of the impact of multimorbidity on costs is highly relevant for health policy decision makers. The present study provides a well-founded basis to analyze the relationship between multiple morbidity and associated costs due to healthcare resource consumption of older adults in Germany.

Prerequisites for a new health care model for elderly people with multimorbidity: the PRISCUS research consortium.

BACKGROUND: Multimorbidity, the concurrent manifestation or presence of multiple chronic conditions, poses huge challenges to affected patients, their relatives, physicians, and practitioners alike. The growing number of affected persons and the complexity of their needs places just as much of a burden on the health care system as does the plethora of often poorly coordinated interventions. The Chronic Care Model developed for different chronic diseases is suited for improving medical care. The PRISCUS research consortium was established to create the prerequisites for a new care model for multimorbid, elderly patients oriented along those lines. METHODS: The research consortium utilizes data gathered in a large-scale epidemiological study on peripheral arterial disease (getABI study) and from the Dortmund and Münster stroke registries, by extracting epidemiologic and health economic data, quality-of-life parameters, and data on the extent and quality of medication. Additional projects evaluate the implementation of a multidimensional geriatric assessment in primary care, the functional consequences of multimorbidity in stroke patients along with options for prevention and therapy afforded by physical activity. Systematic reviews of the literature are used to describe quality of life and patient preferences. Experts will work on an initial draft treatment standard for patients with multimorbidity and a list of potentially inappropriate medication for the elderly in Germany. CONCLUSION: The results of the PRISCUS research consortium will enable an epidemiologic characterization and description of consequences of multimorbidity, while illustrating new approaches towards prevention, diagnosis, and management of multimorbid patients. With this, some prerequisites for a new health care model for patients with multimorbidity comparable to the Chronic Care Model will be fulfilled.

[Analysing the work of medical and nursing staff: comparison between PsychPV requirements and everyday activities on psychiatric wards]. / Tätigkeitsanalyse im ärztlichen und pflegerischen Dienst : Abgleich der PsychPV-Vorgaben mit dem Arbeitsalltag auf einer stationären psychiatrischen Einrichtung.

BACKGROUND: Since 1991 the German psychiatry personnel regulation act (PsychPV) defines the number and tasks of medical doctors and nursing staff on a psychiatric ward. However, there is the suspicion that there are differences, especially with regard to an increased proportion of activities not involving patients, such as documentation and administrative work. METHODS: To detect differences between requirements from the PsychPV and the actual amount of time spent on different activities, a task analysis was performed on a general psychiatric and a gerontological psychiatric ward. In this study the proportions of working time spent on five different types of activities with time that should have been spent according to the PsychPV were compared. RESULTS: Discrepancies were found on both psychiatric wards and for medical doctors as well as for nursing staff. Tasks of documentation and administrative work took significantly higher proportions of working time than required in the PsychPV. On the other hand psychiatric personnel spent less time for treatment or nursing in direct contact with the patients. CONCLUSION: The results of this study confirmed the suspicion that shifting tasks on psychiatric wards has led to changed treatment settings.

[Relationship between health-related quality of life and multimorbidity]. / Gesundheitsbezogene Lebensqualität bei Multimorbidität.

OBJECTIVES: Changed morbidity patterns in many industrialised countries lead to new requirements concerning the health-care process. In contrast to a complete cure and due to increasing (multiple) chronic conditions with longevity, the alleviation of complaints and thereby securing the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is coming more and more into the focus of efforts. The objective of this review is to analyse the effects of (multiple) chronic conditions on HRQoL. Another aim is to ascertain to what extent the number and specific combination of conditions have an impact on HRQoL. METHODS: This review is based on a systematic literature search using MeSH terms in Medline/Pubmed and several publisher databases. Inclusion criteria focus particularly on the relationship between multimorbidity and HRQoL. RESULTS: Findings of the literature search clearly show that existing chronic conditions have a negative impact on HRQoL. Most studies conclude that the quality of life decreases with an increasing number of diseases. In comparison to mental or social dimensions, the inverse relationship between multimorbidity and HRQoL is significantly stronger in physical dimensions. Particularly cardiovascular diseases and musculoskeletal disorders result in severe losses of HRQoL. Furthermore, the HRQoL is reduced by specific disease combinations. Patterns of disease combinations influence the degree of HRQoL loss, as well. CONCLUSION: A clear understanding of the impacts of multimorbidity and specific morbidity patterns on the different dimensions of HRQoL can help to optimise the health-care process for the patients benefit. This optimised process should not separate between single diagnoses, but focus on the concurrence of multiple conditions having regard to patient-relevant outcome HRQoL. For example, one potential is to focus efforts on key conditions in the cooccurrence of multiple diseases (like musculoskeletal disorders). The current state of research on specific morbidity patterns and their impacts on HRQoL is limited. Especially for the German-speaking areas further analyses are needed.

[Multimorbidity and health-related quality of life among elderly persons]. / Gesundheitsbezogene Lebensqualität bei Multimorbidität im Alter.

Aim of this study was to analyze the effects of single diseases and multimorbidity on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the elderly. Based on data from telephone interviews with the getABI cohort, empirical analyses were conducted. To evaluate HRQoL, 2,120 participants (76.29 +/- 4.48 years old, 46.3% male) completed the EQ-5D and the SF-8 questionnaire. There is an inverse relationship between HRQoL and multimorbidity in the elderly. In comparison to psychological dimensions, physical domains decrease more clearly with rising morbidity. Analyzing the influence of single diseases, particularly cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases diagnosed in the last two years, the long-term existence of peripheral arterial disease and dysfunctions of the musculoskeletal system result in severe loss of HRQoL in older persons. Information on HRQoL can help health care providers obtain a comprehensive picture of their older and often multimorbid patients' state and perception of health. An optimized health care process should not only focus on the individual diagnoses, but also on the extent of multimorbidity and associated HRQoL effects.