The association between types of regular primary care and hospitalization among people with and without multimorbidity: A household survey on 25,780 Chinese

Chung, R. Y. et al. (2016) The association between types of regular primary care and hospitalization among people with and without multimorbidity: A household survey on 25,780 Chinese. Scientific Reports, 6, 29758. (doi: 10.1038/srep29758) (PMID:27435519) (PMCID:PMC4951721)

Abstract

Using data collected from 25,780 Hong Kong citizens in a household survey, this study aimed to investigate the association between having regular source of primary care and hospitalization amongst people with and without multimorbidity (two or more chronic conditions). Potential interaction effects of regular primary care with multimorbidity were also examined. Results revealed a significant association between having regular source of primary care from General Practitioners and reduced hospitalization amongst respondents with multimorbidity (RR = 0.772; 95% CI = 0.667–0.894), adjusting for other potential confounding factors (i.e., socio-demographic factors and medical insurance and benefits). In contrast, having regular Specialist care was significantly associated with increased risk of hospitalization among both people with multimorbidity (RR = 1.619; 95% CI = 1.256–2.087) and without multimorbidity (RR = 1.981; 95% CI = 1.246–3.149), adjusting for potential confounders. A dose-response relationship between the number of chronic diseases and hospitalization was also observed, regardless of whether participants had regular source of primary care or not; relative risks and predicted probabilities for hospitalization were generally greater for those without regular source of primary care. Further studies are warranted to explore the role of healthcare system, informatics, organizational and practice-related factors on healthcare and functional outcomes.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Wang, Professor Haoxiang and Mercer, Professor Stewart
• Authors: Chung, R. Y., Mercer, S. W., Yip, B. H. K., Chan, S. W. C., Lai, F. T. T., Wang, H. H.X., Wong, M. C. S., Wong, C. K. M., Sit, R. W. S., Yeoh, E.-K., and Wong, S. Y. S.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > General Practice and Primary Care; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Public Health
• Journal Name: Scientific Reports
• Publisher: Nature Research
• ISSN: 2045-2322
• ISSN (Online): 2045-2322
• Published Online: 20 July 2016
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2016 Chung, R. Y. et al
• First Published: First published in Scientific Reports 6:29758
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License