scholarly journals Linkage of national health and social care data: a cross-sectional study of multimorbidity and social care use in people aged over 65 years in Scotland

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A G Henderson ◽  
Iain Atherton ◽  
Colin McCowan ◽  
Stewart W Mercer ◽  
Nick Bailey

Abstract Background little is known about the relationship between multimorbidity and social care use (also known as long-term care). The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between receipt of formal social care services and multimorbidity. Methods this retrospective data linkage, observational study included all individuals over the age of 65 in the population of Scotland in financial years 2014–15 and 2015–16 (n = 975,265). The main outcome was receipt of social care measured by presence in the Scottish Social Care Survey. Logistic regression models were used to assess the influence of multimorbidity, age, sex and socioeconomic position on the outcome reporting average marginal effects (AME). Findings 93.3% of those receiving social care had multimorbidity, 16.2% of those with multimorbidity received social care compared with 3.7% of those without. The strongest magnitudes of AME for receiving social care were seen for age and multimorbidity (respectively, 50 and 18% increased probability comparing oldest to youngest and most severe multimorbidity to none). A 5.5% increased probability of receiving social care was observed for the most-deprived compared with the least-deprived. Interpretation higher levels of social care receipt are observed in those with increasing age, severe multimorbidity and living in more deprived areas. Multimorbidity does not fully moderate the relationship between social care receipt and either age or deprivation.

Author(s):  
David Henderson ◽  
Iain Atherton ◽  
Nick Bailey ◽  
Colin McCowan ◽  
Stewart Mercer

Multimorbidity, the presence of two or more long-term conditions, is associated with numerous negative outcomes. Little is known, however, about the relationship between multimorbidity and social care use (also known as long-term care). This is important as many developed countries seek to integrate health and social care services as a means of improving quality of services at the same time as making efficiency savings. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between receipt of formal social care services, sociodemographic variables, and two proxy measures of multimorbidity. For this retrospective population-based observational study including all individuals over the age of 65 in Scotland in financial years 2014/15 and 2015/16 (n= 975,265), we linked the Scottish Social Care Survey (which holds information on those receiving social care from local authorities) to administrative NHS community prescribing and demographic records. The main outcome binary measure was presence or not in the social care survey. Two proxy measures of multimorbidity were derived from prescribing data. We used logistic regression models and report Average Marginal Effects (AME). Fifteen percent of all individuals received formal social care services. After adjustment for other modelled factors, multimorbidity showed an increasing magnitude of effect on receipt of social care (AME 16.4% (95% CI 16.2-16.6%) increased probability for 9+ medicines compared to 0-2 medicines, AME 18.8% (95% CI 18.5-19.1%) increased probability for 6+ BNF chapters compared to 0 BNF chapters). The magnitude of effect of deprivation on social care receipt was lower (AME 5.1% (95% CI 4.8-5.4%) increased probability in the most deprived area decile compared to the most affluent) after adjusting for multimorbidity and other demographic factors. This is one of the first studies to demonstrate an association between multimorbidity and receipt of social care. Increasing prevalence of multimorbidity has greater societal implications than previously described.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 381-386
Author(s):  
Marina Miranda Borges ◽  
Ana Julia de Lima Bomfim ◽  
Marcos Hortes Nisihara Chagas

ABSTRACT Empathy is an important factor to guarantee the quality of care provided in the long-term care institutions (LTCIs) for older adults, and depression is a factor that affects the health of the professional and, consequently, the care. Thus, it is important that studies are conducted on the relationship of these variables in this context. Objective: The aim of this study is to verify the relationship between empathy and depressive symptoms among health professionals working in the LTCIs. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at LTCIs in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The final sample was constituted by 101 health professionals (i.e., caregivers and nursing technicians) with direct participation in the care of institutionalized older adults. The instruments were used as follows: the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) to assess empathy and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for the diagnosis of depression. For the analyses, the patients were divided into groups with and without depression, according to the score of the PHQ-9. Results: The prevalence of depression among health professionals was 19.8%. Significant statistical differences were found between the groups for the total score of the IRI (p=0.029), for the emotional domain (p=0.023), and for the personal distress (p=0.009). Conclusions: The findings indicate that the presence of depression among health professionals at LTCIs is related to the higher levels of empathy, especially in the emotional domain. Thus, future studies that contribute to understanding how care must be provided with empathy, but without harming the health of the professional, should be carried out.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. e026647
Author(s):  
Magda Bucholc ◽  
Maurice O’Kane ◽  
Ciaran Mullan ◽  
Siobhan Ashe ◽  
Liam Maguire

ObjectivesTo describe the laboratory test ordering patterns by general practitioners (GPs) in Northern Ireland Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT) and explore demographic and socioeconomic associations with test requesting.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingWHSCT, Northern Ireland.Participants55 WHSCT primary care medical practices that remained open throughout the study period 1 April 2011–31 March 2016.OutcomesTo identify the temporal patterns of laboratory test ordering behaviour for eight commonly requested clinical biochemistry tests/test groups in WHSCT. To analyse the extent of variations in laboratory test requests by GPs and to explore whether these variations can be accounted for by clinical outcomes or geographical, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.ResultsThe median number of adjusted test request rates over 5 consecutive years of the study period decreased by 45.7% for urine albumin/creatinine ratio (p<0.000001) and 19.4% for lipid profiles (p<0.000001) while a 60.6%, 36.6% and 29.5% increase was observed for HbA1c(p<0.000001), immunoglobulins (p=0.000007) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) (p=0.0003), respectively. The between-practice variation in test ordering rates increased by 272% for immunoglobulins (p=0.008) and 500% for HbA1c(p=0.0001). No statistically significant relationship between ordering activity and either demographic (age and gender) and socioeconomic factors (deprivation) or Quality and Outcome Framework scores was observed. We found the rural–urban differences in between-practice variability in ordering rates for lipid profiles, thyroid profiles, PSA and immunoglobulins to be statistically significant at the Bonferroni-adjusted significance level p<0.01.ConclusionsWe explored potential factors of the interpractice variability in the use of laboratory tests and found that differences in requesting activity appear unrelated to either demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of GP practices or clinical outcome indicators.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anjali Kumar ◽  
Dana Cernigliaro ◽  
Mary E. Northridge ◽  
Yinxiang Wu ◽  
Andrea B. Troxel ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Interest in aqueous silver diamine fluoride (SDF) has been growing as a treatment for caries arrest. A cross-sectional study was conducted to identify factors associated with caregiver acceptance of SDF treatment for children presenting with caries at 8 Federally Qualified Health Centers. The study purpose was to examine associations between caregiver acceptance of SDF treatment for children with caries and (1) sociodemographic and acculturation characteristics of caregivers and (2) clinical assessments of the children by dentists. Methods A caregiver survey collected information on: sociodemographic characteristics; acculturation characteristics, measured using the validated Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics (SASH); perceived benefits and barriers of SDF treatment, including caregiver comfort; and perceived health-related knowledge. Chart reviews were conducted to assess: the medical / dental insurance of pediatric patients; cumulative caries experience, measured using decayed, missing, filled teeth total scores (dmft / DMFT); whether operating room treatment was needed; and a record of caregiver acceptance of SDF treatment (the outcome measure). Standard logistic regression models were developed for caregiver acceptance of SDF treatment for their children as the binary outcome of interest (yes / no) to calculate unadjusted odds ratios (OR) and adjusted ORs for covariates of interest. Results Overall, 434 of 546 caregivers (79.5%) accepted SDF treatment for their children. A U-shaped relationship between caregiver odds of accepting SDF treatment and age group of pediatric patients was present, where caregivers were most likely to accept SDF treatment for their children who were either < 6 years or 9–14 years, and least likely to accept SDF treatment for children 6 to < 9 years. The relationship between acculturation and caregiver acceptance of SDF treatment depended upon whether or not caregivers were born in the United States: greater acculturation was associated with caregiver acceptance of SDF treatment among caregivers born in this country, and lower acculturation was associated with caregiver acceptance of SDF treatment among caregivers born elsewhere. Conclusions Caregiver acceptance of SDF treatment is high; child’s age and caregiver comfort are associated with acceptance. Providers need to communicate the risks and benefits of evidence-based dental treatments to increasingly diverse caregiver and patient populations.


2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Mangan ◽  
Robin Miller ◽  
Jeremy Cooper

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between general practitioners (GPs) and social care professionals by reflecting on a project (the Home Truths project) which sought to improve joint working between general practice and social care though an action-research process. Design/methodology/approach – iMPOWER's Home Truths project involved gathering local data regarding joint working in local areas and using this data as a catalyst for change. The Institute of Local Government Studies and the Health Services Management Centre at the University of Birmingham were asked to act as a critical friend to the project. This involved supporting the design of the data collection, offering advice on the process and to carrying out a short evaluation of the impact of the first wave. The paper reflects on the collected data from the sites and information from the impact evaluation. Findings – The paper highlights the poor quality of the relationship between GPs and social workers. Findings that illustrate this include GPs’ poor knowledge of social care services; a perception that social care services were of poor quality and rating the quality of their relationships with social workers as poor. However GPs felt that knowing more about social care could help prevent their patients going into residential care earlier than necessary and wanted to work more closely with social care to exploit the benefits and opportunities. The interventions that have been put in place to try and improve relationships focus on the day-to-day working lives of the professionals rather than attempting to introduce new initiatives. Research limitations/implications – The response rate from GPs in the areas was low (average response rate was 10 per cent in each area) and it may be that only those GPs who are interested in working with social care responded. The initiatives that have been developed appear to be reasonable responses to the issues identified. However, a lack of discrete outcomes through which to measure improvement will make it difficult to demonstrate the impact of the interventions. Originality/value – This paper underlines that despite many years of policy makers promoting better integration, the relationship between the key gate-keepers within the health and social care systems is still poor. The findings from the Home Truths surveys and action plans has gone some way to address the gap identified in the evidence base about the relationships between GPs and social workers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-107
Author(s):  
Farzin Rezaei ◽  
Hero Hassan ◽  
Arezoo Fallahi ◽  
Reza Gheshlagh ◽  
Shahram Sadeghi ◽  
...  

Social trust and spiritual health play an important role in social communication. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between spiritual health and social trust among Iranian students. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the city of Sanandaj, in the West of Iran, in 2018. 686 students from 5 universities were included in the study through simple random sampling. The data were collected using established, reliable instruments for the assessment of social trust and spiritual health. Logistic regression models were applied to assess the association between social trust and spiritual health. We reported estimated logits and Odds Ratios (OR) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). The students with a literate father had substantially higher odds of social trust (OR=1.98, 95% CI=1.19-3.28, p<0.01). Also, similar findings were obtained for students with a literate mother compared to those with an illiterate mother (OR=2.09, 95% CI=1.33-3.28, p<0.01). The odds of social trust also increased with the father’s employment status (OR=13.06, 95% CI=4.16-41, p<0.01). The odds of social trust increased with religious health (OR=1.05, 95% CI=1.03-1.08, p<0.01). It is essential to increase spiritual health and the parents’ literacy to promote social trust among the students.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 120-127
Author(s):  
Merle R. Kataoka-Yahiro ◽  
James Davis ◽  
Lana Sue Ka’opua ◽  
Angela Sy

The purpose of this article was to compare sociodemographic characteristics and various care preferences for family and formal caregivers help with activities of daily living (ADLs). The sample was 56,337 noninstutionalized U.S. civilian adults, 40 to 65 years of age. This is a cross-sectional study using secondary data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)—2011 to 2014. Respondents’ sociodemographic characteristics and various care preferences for caregiver help with ADLs were analyzed. Subsequent analysis examined associations using adjusted multivariable logistic regression models. Preference for family caregivers help with ADLs was independently and significantly associated with race/ethnicity, age, gender, education, acculturation, and income. Future studies need to examine sociodemographic characteristics and caregiver preferences to tailor health care services for aging adults in the United States.


2007 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa C. Bourbonniere ◽  
Laura M. Fawcett ◽  
William C. Miller ◽  
Jennifer Garden ◽  
William B. Mortenson

ABSTRACTA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to (a) determine the prevalence of need for wheel-chair seating intervention in two long-term care facilities in Vancouver, BC, (b) determine the extent of the residents' independent mobility within these facilities, and (c) explore the relationship between proper wheel-chair seating and positioning and independent mobility. The study population comprised 99 wheel-chair-using older adults. Four trained raters assessed need for seating intervention, using the Seating Identification Tool, and quantified extent and frequency of wheel-chair mobility, using the Nursing Home Life-Space Diameter. Results indicated that (a) there was a low need (overall 22%) for wheel-chair seating intervention in the two facilities, (b) half of the residents were independently mobile in their own rooms and on their units, but independent mobility decreased when greater distances needed to be travelled, and (c) the need for wheel-chair seating intervention was the only significant predictor of extent of independent mobility. These findings suggest that, where there are dedicated staff and equipment resources, the need for wheel-chair seating intervention can be minimized and independent mobility for long-term care residents maximized.


Author(s):  
David Alexander Gunn Henderson ◽  
Jennifer Kirsty Burton ◽  
Ellen Lynch ◽  
David Clark ◽  
Julie Rintoul ◽  
...  

IntroductionLinked health care datasets have been used effectively in Scotland for some time. Use of social care data has been much more limited, partly because responsibility for these services is distributed across multiple local authorities. However, there are substantial interactions between health and social care (also known internationally as long-term care) services, and keen policy interest in better understanding these. We introduce two social care resources that can now be linked to health datasets at a population level across Scotland to study these interdependencies. These data emerge from the Scottish Government’s centralised collation of data from mandatory returns provided by local authorities and care homes. MethodsDeterministic and Probabilistic methods were used to match the Social Care Survey (SCS) and Scottish Care Home Census (SCHC) to the Community Health Index (CHI) number via the National Records of Scotland (NRS) Research Indexing Spine. ResultsFor the years 2010/11 to 2015/16, an overall match rate of 91.2% was achieved for the SCS to CHI from 31 of Scotland’s 32 local authority areas. This rate varied from 76.7% to 98.5% for local authority areas. A match rate of 89.8% to CHI was achieved for the SCHC in years 2012/13 to 2015/16 but only 52.5% for the years 2010/11 to 2011/12. ConclusionIndexing of the SCS and SCHC to CHI offers a new and rich resource of data for health and social care research.


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