The Reported Frequency of FP Visits and Family Difficulties Should Alert FPs and Help Them to Prevent Severe Outcomes in Multimorbid Outpatients

The Frequency of Family Physician Visits and the Extent of Family Difficulties Reported by Family Physicians Appear to be Decompensation Risk Factors for Multimorbid Outpatients in a Primary Care Feasibility Study

The European General Practitioners Research Network (EGPRN) designed and validated a comprehensive definition of multimorbidity using a systematic literature review and qualitative research throughout Europe. This definition was tested as a model to assess decompensation in multimorbid outpatients.

The objective is to assess which criteria in the EGPRN concept of multimorbidity could detect decompensating outpatients in a primary care cohort at a 6-month follow-up and to assess whether a large scale cohort with FPs would be feasible.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Multimorbidity
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Questionnaire

Detailed Description

Method: Family Physicians included a random sample of multimorbid patients who attended appointments in their offices from July to December 2014. Inclusion criteria were those of the EGPRN definition of Multimorbidity. Exclusion criteria were patients under legal protection and those unable to complete the 2-year follow-up. Decompensation was defined as the occurrence of death or hospitalization for more than seven days. Statistical analysis was undertaken with uni- and multivariate analysis at a 6-month follow-up using a combination of approaches including both automatic classification and expert decision making. A Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) confirmed results consistency and completed the process with a projection of illustrative variables. A logistic regression was finally performed in order to identify and quantify risk factors for decompensation.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 96

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population included a random sample of multimorbid patients (according to the EGPRN definition of multimorbidity). Patients were selected by 19 FPs in their offices in the county of Finistere (in north-west France) from July 2014 to December 2014.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Inclusion criteria were patients meeting the criteria for the definition of multimorbidity according to the EGPRN definition: any combination of chronic disease with at least one other disease (acute or chronic) or a bio psychosocial factor (associated or not) or a somatic risk factor.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Exclusion criteria were patients not meeting the criteria of the definition of multimorbidity, the inability to follow the study over time (known to be leaving the practice in the following months), patients under legal protection, outpatients in palliative care for whom survival was estimated by the FPs at less than three months.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Cohort
• Time Perspectives: Prospective

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Intervention / Treatment

Multimorbidity cohort; The study population included a random sample of multimorbid patients (according to the EGPRN definition of multimorbidity). Patients were selected by 19 FPs in their offices in the county of Finistere (in north-west France) from July 2014 to December 2014. Randomization was achieved by including the first four multimorbid patients (according to the inclusion criteria) encountered during their second working day of each week. As patients were booking their appointments with the practice without the FPs' clearance, the FPs were not able to select them

Other: Questionnaire; This questionnaire was to explore potential decompensation risk factors within themes and subthemes of multimorbidity

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
To detect the decompensating outpatients	To assess which criteria in the EGPRN concept of multimorbidity could detect decompensating outpatients in a primary care cohort at a 6-month follow-up and to assess whether a large scale cohort with FPs would be feasible	6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Hospital, Brest
• Collaborators: ERCR SPURBO

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2014
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 10, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 13, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): April 14, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 3, 2025
• Last Verified: February 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: decompensation; Multimorbidity; predictive value; Family Medicine
• Other Study ID Numbers: SPURBO

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No