ArticleBJGP open2024
Association of polydoctoring and mortality among persons over 85 years with multimorbidity: a prospective cohort study in Japan.
Article in BJGP open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Determinants of polydoctoring among patients with multimorbidity: a Nationwide Longitudinal Fixed-Effects Study in Japan.Family medicine and community health · 2026Article
- "We do what needs to be done": caregivers' experiences of healthcare and support for people with multiple long-term conditions in the last year of life.BMC palliative care · 2026Article
- Polydoctoring and health outcomes among the very old population with multimorbidity: a retrospective cohort study in Japan.Scientific reports · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPolydoctoring can increase the risk of care fragmentation among patients with multimorbidity, but its impact on health outcomes remains unclear.
aimTo determine the effects of polydoctoring, as measured by the regularly visited facilities (RVF) indicator, on patient outcomes among older individuals with multimorbidity. DESIGN &
settingData from the ongoing prospective cohort study, Kawasaki Aging and Wellbeing Project (KAWP), was utilised in this study. Among the 1026 KAWP participants aged 85-89 years, those with two or more chronic conditions were enrolled in this study.
methodCare fragmentation and polydoctoring was evaluated using the RVF, which is a new indicator that measures the number of medical facilities consistently involved in a patient's care. Based on RVF, mortality was analysed using the Cox proportional hazards model, with adjustments for age, sex, frailty, and number of comorbidities.
resultsA significant reduction in mortality rates was observed in participants with an RVF of ≥3 and 2-4 comorbidities (hazard ratio [HR] 0.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.18 to 0.99,
conclusionIn older patients with multimorbidity, polydoctoring may reduce mortality in patients with ≤4 coexisting conditions, but it does not significantly impact mortality in those with ≥5 conditions. These findings provide insights for healthcare decision making in managing older patients with multimorbidity.
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