Older patients’ perceived burdens of their health problems: a cross-sectional analysis in 74 German general practices
Older patients’ perceived burdens of their health problems: a cross-sectional analysis in 74 German general practices
Blog Article
Ulrike Junius-Walker,1 Birgitt Wiese,1 Renate Klaaßen-Mielke,2 Gudrun Theile,1,3 Christiane Annette Müller,4 Eva Hummers-Pradier4 1Institute of General Practice, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, 2Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ruhr-University, Bochum, Germany; 3Geriatric Clinic University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland; 4Department of General Practice/Family Medicine, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany Background: Older patients often experience the burden of multiple health problems.Physicians need to Tank Kit consider them to arrive at a holistic treatment plan.Yet, it has not been systematically investigated as to which personal burdens ensue from certain health conditions.
Objective: The objective of this study is to examine older patients’ perceived burden of their health problems.Patients and methods: The study presents a cross-sectional analysis in 74 German general practices; 836 patients, 72 years and older (mean 79±4.4), rated the burden of each health problem disclosed by a comprehensive geriatric assessment.
Patients rated each burden using three components: importance, emotional impact, and impact on daily activities.Cluster analyses were performed to define patterns in the rating of these components of burden.In a multilevel logistic regression analysis, independent factors that predict high and low burden were explored.
Results: Patients had a median of eleven health problems and rated the burden of altogether 8,900 health problems.Four clusters provided a good clustering structure.Two clusters describe a high burden, and a further two, a low burden.
Patients attributed a high burden to social and psychological health problems (especially being a caregiver: odds ratio [OR] 10.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.4–24.
4), to specific symptoms (eg, claudication: OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.3–4.
0; pain: OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.6–3.
1), and physical disabilities.Patients rated a comparatively low burden for most Kits of their medical findings, for cognitive impairment, and lifestyle issues (eg, hypertension: OR 0.2, 95% CI 0.
2–0.3).Conclusion: The patients experienced a relatively greater burden for physical disabilities, mood, or social issues than for diseases themselves.
Physicians should interpret these burdens in the individual context and consider them in their treatment planning.Keywords: patient preference, quality of life, older adults, general practice, cost of illness.