Healthcare service utilization in the first year after admission into home medical care among elderly patients in Singapore

Abstract

Introduction: The main aim of present study is to determine the trend of healthcare service utilization during the first year of admission of home medical patients. Materials and Methods: Records of 1,069 patients were examined. Results: Scheduled visits [IRR (95% confidence interval, 95% CI), 0.77 (0.75–0.79)], unscheduled visits [IRR (95% CI), 0.82 (0.75–0.86)] and phone calls [IRR (95% CI), 0.77 (0.74–0.81)] had significant decreasing linear trend from the first to fourth quarter. Doctor encounters [IRR (95% CI), 0.64 (0.61–0.68)], nurse encounters [IRR (95% CI), 0.81 (0.78–0.83)] and therapist encounters [IRR (95% CI), 0.61 (0.28–1.32)] also had decreasing linear trend. Conclusion: Healthcare utilization of home medical patients declines from first to fourth quarter of admission.

Keywords:

• healthcare utilization of elderly patients
• home care
• long term care
• continuum of care

Public Interest Statement

Emphasis on caring for elderly in their own homes has gained momentum across healthcare systems in the developed world. Our study showed that there was a significant decline in HSU from first to fourth quarter from the date of admission into a home medical service from 2000 to 2009. The knowledge of these trends may help governments more accurately project resources needed for home medical services, a strategy to help elders to “age in place”.

Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interest.

Acknowledgements

We thank the management of Code 4 Medical Services, Ren Ci Community Hospital, research assistant Angela Cheong and Rocío Fernández Méndez for their support of this study.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rakhi Mittal

Dr Rakhi Mittal is a PhD student in Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore (NUS). She did her Bachelors in Dental Sciences (BDS) from India and then Masters of Sciences from Faculty of Dentistry, National University of Singapore. In 2014 she was awarded “NUS Research Scholarship” for her PhD studies in Public Health. Her PhD topic is “Predictors of healthcare service utilization and length of stay of patients admitted into a multi-professional home medical care service from 2000 to 2009”. She has presented papers in conferences and published in reputable journals.