Utilization patterns of ambulatory medical care before and after the diagnosis of dementia in Germany

Eisele, Marion; Bussche, Hendrik van den; Koller, Daniela; Wiese, Birgitt; Kaduszkiewicz, Hanna; Maier, Wolfgang; Glaeske, Gerd; Steinmann, Susanne; Wegscheider, Karl und Schön, Gerhard (Juni 2010): Utilization patterns of ambulatory medical care before and after the diagnosis of dementia in Germany. Results of a Case-Control Study. In: Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, Bd. 29, Nr. 6: S. 475-483

Abstract

Aims: To analyze how the diagnosis of dementia changes the utilization of the ambulatory medical care services in the German statutory health insurance. Methods: In this case-control study, claims data of 1,848 insurants aged ≧65 years with incident dementia and 7,392 matched controls were compared regarding their utilization of ambulatory medical care services. Results: We found an increase in the utilization of ambulatory medical care services by demented patients of 50% in the year before and of 40% in the year after the incidence, predominantly in primary care and neurology/psychiatry settings. A negative interaction effect of age and gender (p ≤ 0.000) was found regarding the number of visited physicians. Conclusion: Service utilization by demented patients increases already within the year before the first diagnosis and stays on a relatively high level within the year after. Especially (female) patients aged 80 years and older at dementia onset ought to be observed to prevent a possible undersupply.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Keywords: 80 and over; Aged; Ambulatory Care; Ambulatory Care: utilization; Case-Control Studies; Cohort Studies; Dementia; Dementia: diagnosis; Dementia: economics; Dementia: epidemiology; Female; Germany; Health Planning; Health Services
• Fakultät: Medizin > Institut für Medizinische Informationsverarbeitung, Biometrie und Epidemiologie ; Medizin > Institut für Medizinische Informationsverarbeitung, Biometrie und Epidemiologie > Epidemiologie für Schwindelerkrankungen
• Themengebiete: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften > 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
• ISSN: 1421-9824
• Sprache: Englisch