Interrelationships between symptom burden and health functioning and health care utilization among veterans with persistent physical symptoms.
BMC Fam Pract
; 21(1): 124, 2020 07 01.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32611312
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Between 10 and 50% of primary care patients present with persistent physical symptoms (PPS). Patients with PPS tend to utilize excessive or inappropriate health care services, while being stuck in a deleterious cycle of inactivity, deconditioning, and further worsening of symptoms and disability. Since military deployment (relative to non-deployment) is associated with greater likelihood of PPS, we examined the interrelationships of health care utilization, symptom burden and functioning among a sample of recently deployed Veterans with new onset persistent physical symptoms.METHODS:
This study analyzed a cohort of 790 U.S. soldiers who recently returned from deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. Data for this analysis were obtained at pre- and post-deployment. We used moderation analyses to evaluate interactions between physical symptom burden and physical and mental health functioning and four types of health care utilization one-year after deployment, after adjusting for key baseline measures.RESULTS:
Moderation analyses revealed significant triple interactions between physical symptom burden and health functioning and primary care (F = 3.63 [2, 303], R2Δ = .02, p = 0.03), specialty care (F = 6.81 [2, 303] R2Δ =0.03, p < .001), allied therapy care (F = 3.76 [2, 302], R2Δ = .02, p = 0.02), but not mental health care (F = 1.82 [1, 303], R2Δ = .01, p = .16), one-year after deployment.CONCLUSIONS:
Among U.S. Veterans with newly emerging persistent physical symptoms one-year after deployment, increased physical symptom burden coupled with decreased physical and increased mental health functioning was associated with increased medical care use in the year after deployment. These findings support whole health initiatives aimed at improving health function/well-being, rather than merely symptom alleviation.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Atenção Primária à Saúde
/
Veteranos
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Aceitação pelo Paciente de Cuidados de Saúde
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Saúde Mental
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Sintomas Inexplicáveis
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Desempenho Físico Funcional
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Serviços de Saúde para Veteranos Militares
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
Limite:
Female
/
Humans
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Male
/
Middle aged
País como assunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article