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Profile of elderly with multiple physician visits: Advocacy for tailored comprehensive geriatric assessment use in clinics
Author(s) -
Kuo MeiChen,
Jeng Chii,
Chen ChingMin,
Jian WenShan
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
geriatrics and gerontology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1447-0594
pISSN - 1444-1586
DOI - 10.1111/ggi.12111
Subject(s) - medicine , specialty , medical prescription , diabetes mellitus , comorbidity , geriatrics , dementia , disease , population , family medicine , emergency medicine , physical therapy , nursing , environmental health , psychiatry , endocrinology
Aim The rapid growth of the elderly population has given rise to the need for better geriatric care. The present study explored the common conditions of elderly outpatients with multiple physician visits in order to develop feasible clinical indicators that can be rapidly administered for the evaluation of geriatric syndromes in outpatient settings. Methods The N ational H ealth I nsurance R esearch D atabase (2008) was analyzed. Claims for elderly outpatients with more than two physician visits in the same day were retrieved. The primary diagnoses, types of prescriptions and comorbidities were cross‐examined. Results The overall prevalence rate for elderly patients with multiple physician visits ranged from 28.41% to 39.40%, and which increased steadily with age. A maximum of seven physician visits in a single day was observed. The most common multiple physician visit was two visits per day, with a prevalence rate of 30.97%. The two most common accompanying conditions were hypertension (3.79%) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (3.68%). There was a greater relative increase in the prevalence of senile dementia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in older age groups. The three overall leading specialties were cardiology, internal medicine, and ophthalmology; however, rehabilitation medicine was the most common female‐specific specialty. The most commonly prescribed medications were antihypertension drugs. The most prevalent comorbidity was type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Conclusion We conclude that our data represent crucial information for the design of concise assessment metrics for application to the most chronic conditions in an effort to implement better geriatric healthcare. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2014; 14: 372–380.