ArticleBMC primary care2023
How do older adults with multimorbidity navigate healthcare?: a qualitative study in Singapore.
Article in BMC primary care, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Healthcare access and care experiences among adults aged 80 years and older: a qualitative study.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- How do limited familial ties and community relationships shape health-seeking in older adulthood? Evidence from Indonesia.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2026Article
- Organizing everyday management in older adults with multimorbidity: a qualitative study from a time-geography perspective.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Disposal practices for unused and expired medications among outpatients in three healthcare facilities in Ibadan, Nigeria: a cross-sectional analysis.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Health-related quality of life among multiethnic public polyclinic users in Singapore and associated factors: a cross-sectional study.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2025Article
- The Level of Knowledge and Attitude Toward Dealing With Fractures at Accident Sites Among Al Baha Population.Cureus · 2024Article
- Influencing factor analysis of family doctor contract service among older adults: evidence from China.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- MedVantage: A Primary Care Model for Populations With High Social and Medical Needs.Ochsner journal · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPatients living with multimorbidity may require frequent visits to multiple healthcare institutions and to follow diverse medical regimens and advice. Older adults with multimorbidity could face additional challenges because of declining cognitive capability, frailty, increased complexity of diseases, as well as limited social and economic resources. Research on how this population navigates the healthcare system in Singapore also remains unknown. This study investigates the challenges older adults with multimorbidity face in navigating healthcare in Singapore.
methodsTwenty older adults with multimorbidity from a public primary care setting were purposively sampled. Interviews conducted inquired into their experiences of navigating the healthcare system with multiple conditions. Inductive thematic analysis was performed by independent coders who resolved differences through discussion.
resultsOlder adults with multimorbidity form a population with specific characteristics and challenges. Their ability to navigate the healthcare system well was influenced by these themes including patient-related factors (autonomy and physical mobility, literacy and technological literacy, social support network), healthcare system-related factors (communication and personal rapport, fragmented system, healthcare staff as advocate) and strategies for navigation (fitting in, asking for help, negotiating to achieve goals, managing the logistics of multimorbidity). DISCUSSION: Older adults with multimorbidity should not be treated as a homogenous group but can be stratified according to those with less serious or disruptive conditions (less burden of illness and burden of treatment) and those with more severe conditions (more burden of illness and burden of treatment). Among the latter, some became navigational experts while others struggled to obtain the resources needed. The variations of navigational experiences of the healthcare system show the need for further study of the differential needs of older adults with multimorbidity. To be truly patient-centred, healthcare providers should consider factors such as the existence of family support networks, literacy, technological literacy and the age-related challenges older adults face as they interact with the healthcare system, as well as finding ways to improve healthcare systems through personal rapport and strategies for reducing unnecessary burden of treatment for patients with multimorbidity.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.