Effects of Chronic Comorbidities on the Health-Related Quality of Life among Older Patients after Falls in Vietnamese Hospitals

Hai Minh Vu, Long Hoang Nguyen, Tung Hoang Tran, Kiet Tuan Huy Pham, Hai Thanh Phan, Hieu Ngoc Nguyen, Bach Xuan Tran, Carl A. Latkin, Cyrus S.H. Ho and Roger C.M. Ho
Additional contact information
Hai Minh Vu: Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic, Thai Binh Medical University Hospital, Thai Binh 410000, Vietnam
Long Hoang Nguyen: Center of Excellence in Behavioral Medicine, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
Tung Hoang Tran: Institute of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Vietnam—Germany Hospital, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Kiet Tuan Huy Pham: Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Hai Thanh Phan: Institute for Global Health Innovations, Duy Tan University, Da Nang 550000, Vietnam
Hieu Ngoc Nguyen: Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
Bach Xuan Tran: Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Carl A. Latkin: Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Cyrus S.H. Ho: Department of Psychological Medicine, National University Hospital, Singapore 119074, Singapore
Roger C.M. Ho: Center of Excellence in Behavioral Medicine, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 19, 1-9

Abstract: Although comorbidities are prevalent in older people experiencing falls, there is a lack of studies examining their influence on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in this population. This study examines the prevalence of comorbidities and associations between comorbidities and HRQOL in older patients after falls in Vietnamese hospitals. A cross-sectional design was employed among 405 older patients admitted to seven hospitals due to fall injuries in Thai Binh province, Vietnam. The EuroQol-5 Dimensions-5 Levels (EQ-5D-5L) was used to measure HRQOL. Socio-demographic characteristics were collected using a structured questionnaire, while comorbidities and other clinical characteristics were examined by physicians and extracted from medical records. Multivariate Tobit regression was used to determine the associations between comorbidities and HRQOL. Among 405 patients, 75.6% had comorbidities, of which hypertension and osteoarthritis were the most common. Lumbar spine/cervical spine diseases (Coefficient (Coef.) = −0.10; 95%CI = −0.18; 0.03) and stroke (Coef. = −0.36; 95%CI = −0.61; −0.10) were found to be associated with a significantly decreased EQ-5D index. Participants with three comorbidities had EQ-5D indexes 0.20 points lower (Coef. = −0.20; 95%CI = −0.31; −0.09) in comparison with those without comorbidities. This study underlined a significantly high proportion of comorbidities in older patients hospitalized due to fall injuries in Vietnam. In addition, the existence of comorbidities was associated with deteriorating HRQOL. Frequent monitoring and screening comorbidities are critical to determining which individuals are most in need of HRQOL enhancement.

Keywords: health-related quality of life; comorbidity; fall; older; Vietnam (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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