Preventing Chronic Disease | Multiple Chronic Conditions Among US Adults Who Visited Physician Offices: Data From the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, 2009 - CDC

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Preventing Chronic Disease | Multiple Chronic Conditions Among US Adults Who Visited Physician Offices: Data From the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, 2009 - CDC

Multiple Chronic Conditions Collection

This week Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) released 8 articles focusing on multiple chronic conditions. The articles within this collection address the current trends in population growth, age distribution, and disease dynamics that forecast rises in the prevalence of chronic diseases, other chronic conditions, and combinations of chronic conditions.

Multiple Chronic Conditions Among US Adults Who Visited Physician Offices: Data From the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, 2009

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• Abstract
• Introduction
• Analysis
• Results
• Summary
• Acknowledgments
• Author Information
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Jill Jacobsen Ashman, PhD; Vladislav Beresovsky, PhD

Suggested citation for this article: Ashman JJ, Beresovsky V. Multiple Chronic Conditions Among US Adults Who Visited Physician Offices: Data From the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, 2009. Prev Chronic Dis 2013;10:120308. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd10.120308.

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Abstract

Most research on adults with chronic conditions focuses on a single disease or condition, such as hypertension or diabetes, rather than on multiple chronic conditions (MCC). Our study’s objective was to compare physician office visits by adults with MCC with visits by adults without MCC, by selected patient demographic characteristics. We also identified the most prevalent dyads and triads of chronic conditions among these patients. We used the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a nationally representative survey of office visits to nonfederal physicians and used 13 of the 20 conditions defined by the National Strategic Framework on Multiple Chronic Conditions. Descriptive estimates were generated and significant differences were tested.
In 2009, an estimated 326 million physician office visits, were made by adults aged 18 years or older with MCC representing 37.6% of all medical office visits by adults. Hypertension was the most prevalent chronic condition that appeared in the top 5 MCC dyads and triads, by sex and age groups. The number of visits by patients with MCC increased with age and was greater for men than for women and for adults with public rather than private insurance. Physicians were more likely to prescribe medications at office visits made by patients with MCC. Physician office visits by adults with MCC were not evenly distributed by demographic characteristics.

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Introduction

Most research on adults with chronic conditions focuses on a single disease or condition, such as hypertension or diabetes; little attention is focused on multiple chronic conditions (MCC) in 1 patient. This study compares, by selected demographic characteristics, physician office visits by adults with MCC with visits by adults without MCC. We also present findings on the most common MCC dyads and triads.

Afecciones crónicas múltiples entre adultos en EE. UU. que visitaron consultorios médicos: datos de la Encuesta Nacional sobre Atención Médica Ambulatoria, 2009

Jill Jacobsen Ashman, PhD; Vladislav Beresovsky, PhD

Citación sugerida para este artículo: Ashman JJ, Beresovsky V. Multiple Chronic Conditions Among US Adults Who Visited Physician Offices: Data From the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, 2009. Prev Chronic Dis 2013;10:120308. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd10.120308.

REVISADO POR EXPERTOS

Resumen

La mayor parte de la investigación en adultos con afecciones crónicas se centra en una sola enfermedad o afección, como la hipertensión o la diabetes y no en afecciones crónicas múltiples (MCC, por sus siglas en inglés). El objeto de nuestro estudio fue comparar las visitas al consultorio médico de los adultos con afecciones crónicas múltiples y sin estas, por determinadas características demográficas del paciente. También identificamos las díadas y tríadas de afecciones crónicas más prevalentes entre estos pacientes. Usamos la Encuesta Nacional sobre Atención Médica Ambulatoria, una encuesta representativa a nivel nacional de las visitas a consultorios de médicos no federales, y usamos 13 de las 20 afecciones definidas por el Marco estratégico nacional de afecciones crónicas múltiples. Se generaron cálculos descriptivos y se hicieron pruebas respecto de las diferencias significativas.
En el 2009, se calcula que se hicieron 326 millones de visitas a consultorios por parte de adultos mayores de 18 años con MCC, lo que representa un 37.6 % de todas las visitas médicas de adultos. La hipertensión fue la afección crónica más prevalente en las 5 díadas y tríadas de MCC, por sexo y grupo etario. La cantidad de visitas de pacientes con MCC aumentó con la edad y fue mayor en los hombres que en las mujeres, y en los adultos con seguro médico público que en aquellos con seguro privado. Fue más probable que los médicos recetaran medicamentos en las visitas al consultorio de los pacientes con MCC. Las visitas a consultorios médicos de adultos con MCC no se encontraron distribuidas de manera uniforme por características demográficas.