ArticleBMC geriatrics2022
The utilization of primary healthcare services among frail older adults - findings from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study.
Article in BMC geriatrics, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Community-based health and social care demand associated with frailty in people aged 50 and over in England 2025-40: routine data analyses and simulation modelling.Age and ageing · 2026Article
- Health Care-Related Determinants of First-Time Long-Term Care Need in Older Adults in Germany: Retrospective Cohort Study Using Claims Data.Interactive journal of medical research · 2026Article
- Projected trends in frailty prevalence and associated health service use and costs in the over-50s in England, 2025 to 2040: a simulation modelling study.Age and ageing · 2026Article
- The Mediating Role of Frailty in Healthcare Utilization Among Sexual and Gender Minorities: A Comparison of Generalist, Specialist, and Mental Health Visits.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2026Article
- Using routine health care data to develop and validate a system dynamics simulation model of frailty trajectories in an ageing population.Health systems (Basingstoke, England) · 2025Article
- The brain insulin receptor gene network and associations with frailty index.Age and ageing · 2024Article
- Article
- Association of frailty with the use of health services in older adults: a secondary analysis of the Mexican Health and Aging Study.Gaceta medica de Mexico · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe impact of frailty on primary healthcare service use, especially general practice office visits and remote contacts, is currently unknown. Further, little is known about the association of frailty with physiotherapy contacts.
methodsWe examined the utilization of primary healthcare services among 1064 participants from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study between the years 2013 and 2017. Frailty was assessed based on Fried's frailty criteria at mean age of 71.0 (2.7 SD) years in clinical examinations between the years 2011 and 2013. General practice office visits and remote contacts, the total number of general practice contacts, physiotherapy contacts, and the total number of primary healthcare contacts were extracted from a national Finnish register. We analyzed the data with negative binomial regression models.
resultsOf the 1064 participants, 37 were frail (3.5%) and 427 pre-frail (40.1%); 600 non-frail (56.4%) served as a reference group. Frailty was associated with general practice office visits (IRR 1.31, 95% CI=1.01-1.69), physiotherapy contacts (IRR 2.97, 95% CI=1.49-5.91) and the total number of primary healthcare contacts (IRR 1.41, 95% CI=1.07-1.85). Pre-frailty predicted the use of general practice remote contacts (IRR 1.39, 95% CI=1.22-1.57) and the total number of general practice contacts (IRR 1.25, 95% CI=1.12-1.40).
conclusionsFrailty increases the overall primary healthcare service use whereas pre-frailty is associated with the use of general practice services, especially remote contacts. Primary healthcare needs measures to adapt healthcare services based on the needs of rapidly increasing number of pre-frail and frail older adults and should consider preventative interventions against frailty.
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