AUTHORS
Daniela Carrió-Mut
José Vte Carmona-Simarro
KEY WORDS
Euroqol-5d, Primary care, elderly adults, health-related quality of life.
ABSTRACT
Introduction. This observational analytical case-control study was conducted in the Self-Governing Region of Valencia, Spain. The aim was to research factors associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in older people seen in primary care.
Goal. To assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a group of cases attending primary care versus a control group which had not used this service, analysing the differences in their perception of physical, mental and social well-being, together with the biopsychosocial factors associated with their health status and access to health care.
Methods. We selected 30 cases (patients attending primary care) and 30 controls (people who did not use these services in the 12 months previous to the study), matched by age, gender and geographical location. Socio-demographic, clinical and lifestyle data were collected. HRQoL was assessed using the EuroQol-5D and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated and Chi-square, Fisher’s exact test and Mann-Whitney U tests were applied.
Results. An odds ratio (OR) of 0.74 was obtained, showing that patients attending primary care have a lower relative likelihood of having a better health-related quality of life (HRQoL) compared to the control group.
Discussion. This result suggests that the sample analysed includes mainly cases with greater health needs and a more impaired HRQoL relative to subjects who do not require medical care at the primary care level.