Health Foundation August 2018
This briefing summarises research that explores the link between how well patients feel able to manage their long-term conditions such as asthma, diabetes and depression and their use of health care. Analysis using the Patient Activation Measure (PAM) and healthcare utilisation across a whole health economy found that self-management capability is associated with lower healthcare utilisation and less wasteful use across primary and secondary care.
Summary of
Self-management capability in patients with long-term conditions is associated with reduced healthcare utilisation across a whole health economy: cross-sectional analysis of electronic health records
BMJ Qual Saf Published Online First: 23 August 2018. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2017-007635
Abstract
Abstract
Objective To quantify the association between patient self-management capability measured using the Patient Activation Measure (PAM) and healthcare utilisation across a whole health economy.
Results 12 270 PAM questionnaires were returned from 9348 patients. In the adjusted analyses, compared with the least activated group, highly activated patients (level 4) had the lowest rate of contact with a general practitioner (rate ratio: 0.82, 95% CI 0.79 to 0.86), emergency department attendances (rate ratio: 0.68, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.78), emergency hospital admissions (rate ratio: 0.62, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.75) and outpatient attendances (rate ratio: 0.81, 95% CI 0.74 to 0.88). These patients also had the lowest relative rate (compared with the least activated) of ‘did not attends’ at the general practitioner (rate ratio: 0.77, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.87), ‘did not attends’ at hospital outpatient appointments (rate ratio: 0.72, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.86) and self-referred attendance at emergency departments for conditions classified as minor severity (rate ratio: 0.67, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.82), a significantly shorter average length of stay for overnight elective admissions (rate ratio 0.59, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.94),and a lower likelihood of 30- day emergency readmission (rate ratio: 0.68 , 95% CI 0.39 to 1.17), though this did not reach significance.
Conclusions Self-management capability is associated with lower healthcare utilisation and less wasteful use across primary and secondary care.
Conclusions Self-management capability is associated with lower healthcare utilisation and less wasteful use across primary and secondary care.
