Home Care Needs of Patients in Austria
Author Information
Author(s): Gustav Kamenski, Waltraud Fink, Manfred Maier, Ingrid Pichler, Sonja Zehetmayer
Primary Institution: Medical University Vienna
Hypothesis
What diseases require home care and what is the functional status of home care patients in eastern Austria?
Conclusion
Home care for patients with degenerative diseases of the central nervous and skeletal system is crucial for general practitioners.
Supporting Evidence
- Degenerative diseases of the central nervous system accounted for 65% of home care cases.
- Patients with degenerative diseases of the skeletal system made up 53% of cases.
- More than two-thirds of the patients were female.
- Patients had an average age of 80 years.
- Over 70% of patients were at least partially mobile.
Takeaway
This study looked at what kinds of illnesses make people need help at home and how well they can do things by themselves.
Methodology
Cross-sectional observational study with 17 GP practices assessing patients' diseases and functional status through questionnaires.
Potential Biases
The practices in the two study periods were only partially identical, which could introduce bias.
Limitations
The study had a small number of practices and was geographically limited to eastern Austria.
Participant Demographics
Patients were predominantly female (about 70%) with an average age of 80 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.0001
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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