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Objectives: To examine the impact of two key choices when conducting a network analysis (clustering methods and measure of association) on the number and type of multimorbidity clusters., Study Design and Setting: Using cross-sectional self-reported data on 24 diseases from 30,097 community-living adults aged 45-85 from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, we conducted network analyses using 5 clustering methods and 11 association measures commonly used in multimorbidity studies. We compared the similarity among clusters using the adjusted Rand index (ARI); an ARI of 0 is equivalent to the diseases being randomly assigned to clusters, and 1 indicates perfect agreement. We compared the network analysis results to disease clusters independently identified by two clinicians., Results: Results differed greatly across combinations of association measures and cluster algorithms. The number of clusters identified ranged from 1 to 24, with a low similarity of conditions within clusters. Compared to clinician-derived clusters, ARIs ranged from -0.02 to 0.24, indicating little similarity., Conclusion: These analyses demonstrate the need for a systematic evaluation of the performance of network analysis methods on binary clustered data like diseases. Moreover, in individual older adults, diseases may not cluster predictably, highlighting the need for a personalized approach to their care., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no financial conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Researchers often use survey data to study the effect of health and social variables on physician use, but how self-reported physician use compares to administrative data, the gold standard, in particular within the context of multimorbidity and functional limitations remains unclear. We examine whether multimorbidity and functional limitations are related to agreement between self-reported and administrative data for physician use., Methods: Cross-sectional data from 52,854 Ontario participants of the Canadian Community Health Survey linked to administrative data were used to assess agreement on physician use. The number of general practitioner (GP) and specialist visits in the previous year was assessed using both data sources; multimorbidity and functional limitation were from self-report., Results: Fewer participants self-reported GP visits (84.8%) compared to administrative data (89.1%), but more self-reported specialist visits (69.2% vs. 64.9%). Sensitivity was higher for GP visits (≥90% for all multimorbidity levels) compared to specialist visits (approximately 75% for 0 to 90% for 4+ chronic conditions). Specificity started higher for GP than specialist visits but decreased more swiftly with multimorbidity level; in both cases, specificity levels fell below 50%. Functional limitations, age and sex did not impact the patterns of sensitivity and specificity seen across level of multimorbidity., Conclusions: Countries around the world collect health surveys to inform health policy and planning, but the extent to which these are linked with administrative, or similar, data are limited. Our study illustrates the potential for misclassification of physician use in self-report data and the need for sensitivity analyses or other corrections., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Increasing multimorbidity is often associated with declining physical functioning, with some studies showing a disproportionate impact on functioning when mental health conditions are present. More research is needed because most multimorbidity studies exclude mental health conditions., Objectives: This study aims to improve our understanding of the association between functional limitation and multimorbidity, including a comparison of those with multimorbidity that includes versus excludes mental health conditions., Methods: This is a population-based, cross-sectional analysis of data from The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Functional limitation was defined as the presence of any of 14 activities of daily living (ADLs) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). Multimorbidity, measured by the number of chronic conditions, included mood and anxiety disorders. Logistic regression explored the association between multimorbidity (with and without mental health conditions) and functional limitation. Factor analysis identified common condition clusters to help understand clinical complexity in those with mood/anxiety disorders and the potential influences on functional limitation., Results: There were 51,338 participants, with a similar proportion of men and women (49% versus 51%) and 42% age 65 years or older. Fifteen percent (15%) had no chronic conditions and 17% had 5+. Ten percent (10%) reported at least one ADL or IADL limitation. Odds ratios (ORs) for functional limitation increased with multimorbidity and were generally higher for those with versus without mental health conditions (e.g., ORs from 1 to 5+ chronic conditions increased 1.9 to 15.8 for those with mood/anxiety disorders versus 1.8 to 10.2 for those without). Factor analysis showed that mood/anxiety conditions clustered with somatic conditions (e.g., migraines, bowel/gastrointestinal disorders)., Conclusion: This study found higher odds of functional limitation for those with multimorbidity that included versus excluded mental health conditions, at all levels of multimorbidity. It highlights the need for concurrent management of mental and physical comorbidities to prevent functional limitations and future decline. This approach is aligned with the NICE clinical assessment and management guidelines for people with multimorbidity., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background/objectives: The study objective was to understand characteristics and health outcomes of multimorbidity, distinguishing between multimorbidity onset in earlier and later phases of life among community-dwelling older adults in Canada., Design: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using baseline data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA)., Setting and Participants: This analysis included 11,161 older adults who were between the ages of 65 and 85 years at baseline and who were living in community-based settings., Measurements: Multimorbidity was defined using two cutpoints: two or more chronic conditions (MM2+) and three or more chronic conditions (MM3+). After calculating the age of diagnosis for eligible participants, "early multimorbidity" was defined as multiple chronic conditions diagnosed before 45 years of age, while "late multimorbidity" was defined as multiple chronic conditions diagnosed at or after 45 years of age. The five health outcomes explored were physical disability, social limitation, frailty level, perceived general health status, and perceived mental health status., Results: Overall, the prevalence of MM2+ was 75.3% (95% CI: 74.3, 76.1) and the prevalence of MM3+ was 47.0% (95% CI: 46.0, 48.0). The majority of participants (both females and males) living with multimorbidity were categorized with late multimorbidity. Participants with early multimorbidity or both early and late multimorbidity had increased odds of physical disability, social limitation, increased frailty level, and negative perceived general and mental health. These patterns were detected for both MM2+ and MM3+., Conclusion: This study examined the impact of the timing of multimorbidity onset on five health outcomes. Our findings highlight the importance of clinical and public health interventions to prevent and manage the causes and consequences of multimorbidity, with particular focus on age of onset. Future longitudinal research should be done to further articulate the relationships between multimorbidity and these health outcomes over time., (© 2021 The American Geriatrics Society.)

Objective: To determine the mean number of chronic diseases in Canadians aged 45 to 85 years who are living in the community, and to characterize the association of multimorbidity with age, sex, and social position., Design: An analysis of data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. The number of self-reported chronic diseases was summed, and then the mean number of chronic health problems was standardized to the 2011 Canadian population. Analyses were conducted stratified on sex, age, individual income, household income, and education level., Setting: Canada., Participants: A total of 21 241 community-living Canadians aged 45 to 85 years., Main Outcome Measures: Overall, 31 chronic diseases (self-reported from a list) were considered, as were risk factors that were not mental health conditions or acute in nature. Age, sex, education, and household and individual incomes were also self-reported., Results: Multimorbidity was common, and the mean number of chronic illnesses was 3.1. Women had a higher number of chronic illnesses than men. Those with lower income and less education had more chronic conditions. The number of chronic conditions was strongly associated with age. The mean number of conditions was 2.1 in those aged 45 to 54; 2.9 in those 55 to 64; 3.8 in those aged 65 to 74, and 4.8 in those aged 75 and older ( P < .05, ANOVA [analysis of variance])., Conclusion: Multimorbidity is common in the Canadian population and is strongly related to age., (Copyright© 2021 the College of Family Physicians of Canada.)

Background: This study explores how socio-demographic and health factors shape the relationship between multimorbidity and one-year acute care service use (i.e., hospital, emergency department visits) in older adults in Ontario, Canada., Methods: We linked multiple cycles (2005-2006, 2007-2008, 2009-2010, 2011-2012) of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) to health administrative data to create a cohort of adults aged 65 and older. Administrative data were used to estimate one-year service use and to identify 12 chronic conditions used to measure multimorbidity. We examined the relationship between multimorbidity and service use stratified by a range of socio-demographic and health variables available from the CCHS. Logistic and Poisson regressions were used to explore the association between multimorbidity and service use and the role of socio-demographic factors in this relationship., Results: Of the 28,361 members of the study sample, 60% were between the ages of 65 and 74 years, 57% were female, 72% were non-immigrant, and over 75% lived in an urban area. Emergency department visits and hospitalizations consistently increased with the level of multimorbidity. This study did not find strong evidence of moderator or interaction effects across a range of socio-demographic factors. Stratified analyses revealed further patterns, with many being similar for both services - e.g., the odds ratios were higher at all levels of multimorbidity for men, older age groups, and those with lower household income. Rurality and immigrant status influenced emergency department use (higher in rural residents and non-immigrants) but not hospitalizations. Multimorbidity and the range of socio-demographic variables remained significant predictors of service use in the regressions., Conclusions: Strong evidence links multimorbidity with increased acute care service use. This study showed that a range of factors did not modify this relationship. Nevertheless, the factors were independently associated with acute care service use, pointing to modifiable risk factors that can be the focus of resource allocation and intervention design to reduce service use in those with multimorbidity. The study's results suggest that optimizing acute care service use in older adults requires attention to both multimorbidity and social determinants, with programs that are multifactorial and integrated across the health and social service sectors.

Objective: The objective of the study was to compare multimorbidity prevalence using self-reported and administrative data and identify factors associated with agreement between data sources., Study Design and Setting: Self-reported cross-sectional data from four Canadian Community Health Survey waves were linked to administrative data in Ontario, Canada. Multimorbidity prevalence was examined using two definitions, 2+ and 3+ chronic conditions (CCs). Agreement between data sources was assessed using Kappa and Phi statistics. Logistic regression was used to estimate associations between agreement and sociodemographic, health behavior, and health status variables for each multimorbidity definition., Results: Regardless of multimorbidity definition, prevalence was higher using administrative data (2+ CCs: 55.5% vs. 47.1%; 3+ CCs: 30.0% vs. 24.2%). Agreement between data sources was moderate (2+ CCs K = 0.482; 3+ CCs K = 0.442), and while associated with sociodemographic, health behavior, and health status factors, the magnitude and sometimes direction of association differed by multimorbidity definition., Conclusion: A better understanding is needed of what factors influence individuals' reporting of CCs and how they align with what is in administrative data as policy makers need a solid evidence base on which to make decisions for health planning. Our results suggest that data sources may need to be triangulated to provide accurate estimates of multimorbidity for health services planning and policy., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The objective of this study is to describe agreement between administrative and self-report data on the number and type of chronic conditions (CCs) and determine whether associations between CC count and health service use differ by data source., Study Design and Setting: We linked Canadian Community Health Survey and administrative data for a cohort of adults aged 45+ years in Ontario and identified 12 CCs from both data sources. Agreement was described by count and constituent CCs. We estimated associations between CC count (self-report and administrative data) and health service use (administrative data only) over 1 year., Results: Among 71,317 adults, 26.9% showed agreement on both count and constituent CCs but agreement declined with increasing CCs. Health service use increased with CC count but the association was stronger when CCs were measured with administrative data. For example, when measured with administrative data, the odds of a general practitioner visit for 5+ CCs vs. none was 20.3 (95% CI 20.0-20.5) but when using self-report data, the estimate was 8.0 (95% CI 7.8-8.2)., Conclusion: Agreement on the number of CCs was low and resulted in different estimates on the association with health service use, illustrating the challenges in CC measurement and the ability to interpret the effects on outcomes., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To explore how different frameworks and categories of chronic conditions impact multimorbidity (defined as two or more chronic conditions) prevalence estimates and associations with patient-important functional outcomes., Design: Baseline data from a population-based cohort study., Setting: National sample of Canadians., Participants: A total of 51 338 community-living adults, aged 45 to 85 years., Main Outcome Measures: Chronic conditions from three commonly recognized frameworks were categorized as: (1) diseases, (2) risk factors, or (3) symptoms. Estimates of multimorbidity prevalence were compared among frameworks by age and sex. Separate weighted logistic regression models were used to explore the impact of the different frameworks and categories of chronic conditions on odds ratios (ORs) for multimorbidity for four patient-important functional outcomes: disability, social participation restriction, and self-rated physical and mental health., Results: One framework included diseases and risk factors, and two frameworks included diseases, risk factors, and symptoms. The prevalence of multimorbidity differed among the frameworks, ranging from 33.5% to 60.6% having two or more chronic conditions. Including risk factors in frameworks increased prevalence estimates, while including symptoms increased prevalence estimates and associations with most patient-important outcomes. The two frameworks that included symptoms had the largest ORs for associations with disability, social participation restriction, and self-rated physical health but not self-rated mental health. Similar results were found when we compared ORs for patient-important outcome for multimorbidity based on three subframeworks: one including diseases only, one including diseases and risk factors, and one including diseases, risk factors, and symptoms., Conclusions: Including risk factors appeared to increase only the prevalence of multimorbidity without significantly altering relationships to outcomes. The inclusion of symptoms increased prevalence and associations with patient-important outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of considering not only the number, but also the category, of conditions included in multimorbidity frameworks, as simply counting the number of diagnoses may reduce sensitivity to outcomes that are important to individuals. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:1632-1640, 2019., (© 2019 The American Geriatrics Society.)

Background: Most studies that examine comorbidity and its impact on health service utilization focus on a single index-condition and are published in disease-specific journals, which limit opportunities to identify patterns across conditions/disciplines. These comparisons are further complicated by the impact of using different study designs, multimorbidity definitions and data sources. The aim of this paper is to share insights on multimorbidity and associated health services use and costs by reflecting on the common patterns across 3 parallel studies in distinct disease cohorts (diabetes, dementia, and stroke) that used the same study design and were conducted in the same health jurisdiction over the same time period., Methods: We present findings that lend to broader Insights regarding multimorbidity based on the relationship between comorbidity and health service use and costs seen across three distinct disease cohorts. These cohorts were originally created using multiple linked administrative databases to identify community-dwelling residents of Ontario, Canada with one of diabetes, dementia, or stroke in 2008 and each was followed for health service use and associated costs., Results: We identified 376,434 indviduals wtih diabetes, 95,399 wtih dementia, and 29,671 with stroke. Four broad insights were identified from considering the similarity in comorbidity, utilization and cost patterns across the three cohorts: 1) the most prevalent comorbidity types were hypertension and arthritis, which accounted for over 75% of comorbidity in each cohort; 2) overall utilization increased consistently with the number of comorbidities, with the vast majority of services attributed to comorbidity rather than the index conditions; 3) the biggest driver of costs for those with lower levels of comorbidity was community-based care, e.g., home care, GP visits, but at higher levels of comorbidity the driver was acute care services; 4) service-specific comorbidity and age patterns were consistent across the three cohorts., Conclusions: Despite the differences in population demographics and prevalence of the three index conditions, there are common patterns with respect to comorbidity, utilization, and costs. These common patterns may illustrate underlying needs of people with multimorbidity that are often obscured in literature that is still single disease-focused.

Objective: To determine if multimorbidity is associated with functional status, and to assess if multimorbidity predicts declining functional status over a 5-year time frame, after accounting for baseline functional status and other potential confounding factors., Design: Analysis of an existing population-based cohort study., Setting: Manitoba., Participants: Community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older., Main Outcome Measures: Age, sex, education, and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) scores were recorded for each patient. Multimorbidity was measured using a simple tally of self-reported diseases. Function was measured using the Older Americans Resources and Services scale in 1991 to 1992 and again 5 years later. Good or excellent level of function was compared with level of disability (mild or moderate or higher). Cross-sectional and prospective analyses were conducted., Results: In a cross-sectional analysis, multimorbidity predicted disability. The unadjusted odds ratio (OR) (95% CI) for disability was 1.45 (1.39 to 1.52) for each additional chronic illness. In models adjusting for age, sex, education, and MMSE and CES-D scores, the adjusted OR (95% CI) was 1.35 (1.29 to 1.42) for each additional chronic illness. Multimorbidity also predicted disability 5 years later. The unadjusted OR (95% CI) was 1.31 (1.24 to 1.38). In models adjusting for age, sex, education, and MMSE and CES-D scores in addition to baseline functional status, the adjusted OR (95% CI) was 1.15 (1.09 to 1.24)., Conclusion: Multimorbidity predicts disability in cross-sectional and prospective analyses., (Copyright© the College of Family Physicians of Canada.)

Background The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of SARS-COV-2 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) pandemic on primary care management (frequency of monitoring activities, regular prescriptions, and test results) of older adults with common chronic conditions (diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease) and to examine whether any changes were associated with age, sex, neighbourhood income, multimorbidity, and frailty. Methods A research database from a sub-set of McMaster University Sentinel and Information Collaboration family practices was used to identify patients ≥65 years of age with a frailty assessment and 1 or more of the conditions. Patient demographics, chronic conditions, and chronic disease management information were retrieved. Changes from 14 months pre to 14 months since the pandemic were described and associations between patient characteristics and changes in monitoring, prescriptions, and test results were analysed using regression models. Results The mean age of the 658 patients was 75 years. While the frequency of monitoring activities and prescriptions related to chronic conditions decreased overall, there were no clear trends across sub-groups of age, sex, frailty level, neighbourhood income, or number of conditions. The mean values of disease monitoring parameters (e.g. blood pressure) did not considerably change. The only significant regression model demonstrated that when controlling for all other variables, patients with 2 chronic conditions and those with 4 or more conditions were twice as likely to have reduced numbers of eGFR (Estimated glomerular filtration rate) measures compared to those with only 1 condition ((OR (odds ratio) = 2.40, 95% CI [1.19, 4.87]); (OR = 2.19, 95% CI [1.12, 4.25]), respectively). Conclusion In the first 14 months of the pandemic, the frequency of common elements of chronic condition care did not notably change overall or among higher-risk patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with multimorbidity in adulthood. This link may be mediated by psychosocial and biological factors, but evidence is lacking. The current study evaluates this mediation model. Method: We analyzed data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging (N = 27 170 community participants). Participants were 45–85 years at recruitment, when allostatic load and social engagement data were collected, and 3 years older at follow-up, when ACEs and multimorbidity data were collected. Structural equation modeling was used to test for mediation in the overall sample, and in sex- and age-stratified subsamples, all analyses adjusted for concurrent lifestyle confounds. Results: In the overall sample, ACEs were associated with multimorbidity, directly, β = 0.12 (95% confidence interval 0.11–0.13) and indirectly. Regarding indirect associations, ACEs were related to social engagement, β = −0.14 (−0.16 to −0.12) and social engagement was related to multimorbidity, β = −0.10 (−0.12 to −0.08). ACEs were related to allostatic load, β = 0.04 (0.03–0.05) and allostatic load was related to multimorbidity, β = 0.16 (0.15–0.17). The model was significant for males and females and across age cohorts, with qualifications in the oldest stratum (age 75–85). Conclusions: ACEs are related to multimorbidity, directly and via social engagement and allostatic load. This is the first study to show mediated pathways between early adversity and multimorbidity in adulthood. It provides a platform for understanding multimorbidity as a lifespan dynamic informing the co-occurrence of the varied disease processes represented in multimorbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Polypharmacy in older adults can be associated with negative outcomes including falls, impaired cognition, reduced quality of life, and general and functional decline. It is not clear to what extent these are reversible if the number of medications is reduced. Primary care does not have a systematic approach for reducing inappropriate polypharmacy, and there are few, if any, approaches that account for the patient's priorities and preferences. The primary objective of this study is to test the effect of TAPER (Team Approach to Polypharmacy Evaluation and Reduction), a structured operationalized clinical pathway focused on reducing inappropriate polypharmacy. TAPER integrates evidence tools for identifying potentially inappropriate medications, tapering, and monitoring guidance and explicit elicitation of patient priorities and preferences. We aim to determine the effect of TAPER on the number of medications (primary outcome) and health-related outcomes associated with polypharmacy in older adults.Methods: We designed a multi-center randomized controlled trial, with the lead implementation site in Hamilton, Ontario. Older adults aged 70 years or older who are on five or more medications will be eligible to participate. A total of 360 participants will be recruited. Participants will be assigned to either the control or intervention arm. The intervention involves a comprehensive multidisciplinary medication review by pharmacists and physicians in partnership with patients. This review will be focused on reducing medication burden, with the assumption that this will reduce the risks and harms of polypharmacy. The control group is a wait list, and control patients will be given appointments for the TAPER intervention at a date after the final outcome assessment. All patients will be followed up and outcomes measured in both groups at baseline and 6 months.Discussion: Our trial is unique in its design in that it aims to introduce an operationalized structured clinical pathway aimed to reduce polypharmacy in a primary care setting while at the same time recording patient's goals and priorities for treatment.Trial Registration: Clinical Trials.gov NCT02942927. First registered on October 24, 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Multimorbidity, the co-existence of 2+ (or 3+) chronic diseases in an individual, is an increasingly common global phenomenon leading to reduced quality of life and functional status, and higher healthcare service use and mortality. There is an urgent need to develop and test new models of care that incorporate the components of multimorbidity interventions recommended by international organizations, including care coordination, interdisciplinary teams, and care plans developed with patients that are tailored to their needs and preferences. Purpose: To determine the effectiveness of a 6-month, community-based, multimorbidity intervention compared to usual home care services for community-dwelling older adults (age 65+ years) with multimorbidity (3+ chronic conditions) that were newly referred to and receiving home care services. Methods: A pragmatic, parallel, two-arm randomized controlled trial evaluated the intervention, which included in-home visits by an interdisciplinary team, personal support worker visits, and monthly case conferences. The study took place in two sites in central Ontario, Canada. Eligible and consenting participants were randomly allocated to the intervention and control group using a 1:1 ratio. The participants, statistician/analyst, and research assistants collecting assessment data were blinded. The primary outcome was the Physical Component Summary (PCS) score of the 12-Item Short-Form health survey (SF-12). Secondary outcomes included the SF-12 Mental Component Summary (MCS) score, Center for Epidemiological Studies of Depression (CESD-10), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease, and service use and costs. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) tested group differences using multiple imputation to address missing data, and non-parametric methods explored service use and cost differences. Results: 59 older adults were randomized into the intervention (n = 30) and control (n = 29) groups. At baseline, groups were similar for the primary outcome and number of chronic conditions (mean of 8.6), but the intervention group had lower mental health status. The intervention was cost neutral and no significant group differences were observed for the primary outcome of PCS from SF-12 (mean difference: −4.94; 95% CI: −12.53 to 2.66; p = 0.20) or secondary outcomes. Conclusion: We evaluated a 6-month, self-management intervention for older adults with multimorbidity. While the intervention was cost neutral in comparison to usual care, it was not found to improve the PCS from SF-12 or secondary health outcomes. Recruitment and retention challenges were significant obstacles limiting our ability to assess intervention effectiveness. Yet, the intervention was grounded in internationally-endorsed recommendations and implemented in a practice setting (home care) viewed as a key upstream resource fostering independence in older adults. These features collectively support the identification of ways to recruit/retain older adults and test alternative implementation strategies for interventions that are based on sound principles of multimorbidity management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Multimorbidity Symposium was held in November 2019 at Western University to achieve three main objectives: to discuss progress and findings from various jurisdictions; to facilitate collaboration through group discussion to identify strategies to move multimorbidity research forward; and to create concrete plans to ensure advances in multimorbidity research and knowledge can be achieved through cross-national partnership. This event included keynote presentations, elevator pitch presentations and breakout sessions and there was a total of 35 attendees from eight countries, representing diverse disciplines and training levels. The overall themes arising from the event were: the importance of integrating the study and management of multimorbidity from both the primary care and public health perspectives; meaningful engagement and collaboration with patients and caregivers to understand key dimensions of multimorbidity; the considerable benefit of collaborative international partnerships; and the need to spread and scale innovations for health care systems that can better respond to the complex needs of patients and caregivers who are living with multimorbidity. Finally, it was well-acknowledged among the attendees that expanding the collaboration and discussion among international colleagues via in-person and virtual events will be important to move multimorbidity research forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine agreement between administrative and self-reported data on the number of and constituent chronic conditions (CCs) used to measure multimorbidity. Study Design and Setting: Cross-sectional self-reported survey data from four Canadian Community Health Survey waves were linked to administrative data for residents of Ontario, Canada. Agreement for each of 12 CCs was assessed using kappa (κ) statistics. For the overall number of CCs, perfect agreement was defined as agreement on both the number and constituent CCs. Jackknife methods were used to assess the impact of individual CCs on perfect agreement. Results: The level of chance-adjusted agreement between self-report and administrative data for individual CCs varied widely, from κ = 5.5% (inflammatory bowel disease) to κ = 77.5% (diabetes), and there was no clear pattern on whether using administrative data or self-reported data led to higher prevalence estimates. Only 26.9% of participants had perfect agreement on the number and constituent CCs; 10.6% agreed on the number but not constituent CCs. The impact of each CC on perfect agreement depended on both the level of agreement and the prevalence of the individual CC. Conclusion: Our results show that measuring agreement on multimorbidity is more complex than for individual CCs and that even small levels of individual condition disagreement can have a large impact on the agreement on the number of CCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for home care services is increasing, yet the literature describing the clinical characteristics of community-dwelling individuals with a history of stroke who receive home care is limited. In this retrospective, cross-sectional, population-level study, data were sourced from home care recipients aged 65+ who had a routine assessment using the Resident Assessment Instrument for Home Care (RAI-HC) in Ontario between January 2007 and December 2011. The RAI-HC contains several health status indicators and validated health index scales. The association of a history of stroke on health status was assessed through a series of logistic regression models, adjusted for age, sex, and number of comorbidities. Sex differences were also explored. A change in odds of ≥25% was considered to indicate a clinically important finding. From the home care data (N = 319,694), 56,909 individuals had a stroke diagnosis, with approximately 86% diagnosed with ≥3 chronic conditions. A stroke diagnosis was associated with a higher risk of limitations or impairments with communication, locomotion, continence, activities of daily living, and cognitive performance. A clinically meaningful difference was not observed for symptoms of depression. Few sex differences were observed. In an effort to support the development of effective home and community-based care programs, research is needed to understand differences in community-dwelling versus institutional populations. Community-dwelling individuals with a history of stroke show higher levels of impairment and limitations compared with those without, suggesting areas where home care resources could be improved to help manage the chronic effects of stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The number of older people living with cancer and cardiometabolic conditions is increasing, but little is known about how specific combinations of these conditions impact mortality.Methods: A total of 22,692 participants aged 65 years and older from four international cohorts were followed-up for mortality for an average of 10 years (8,596 deaths). Data were harmonized across cohorts and mutually exclusive groups of disease combinations were created for cancer, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and diabetes at baseline. Cox proportional hazards models for all-cause mortality were used to estimate the age- and sex-adjusted hazard ratio and rate advancement period (RAP) (in years).Results: At baseline, 23.6% (n = 5,116) of participants reported having one condition and 4.2% (n = 955) had two or more conditions. Data from all studies combined showed that the RAP increased with each additional condition. Diabetes advanced the rate of dying by the most years (5.26 years; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.53-6.00), but the effect of any single condition was smaller than the effect of disease combinations. Some combinations had a significantly greater impact on the period by which the rate of death was advanced than others with the same number of conditions, for example, 10.9 years (95% CI, 9.4-12.6) for MI and diabetes versus 6.4 years (95% CI, 4.3-8.5) for cancer and diabetes.Conclusions: Combinations of cancer and cardiometabolic conditions accelerate mortality rates in older adults differently. Although most studies investigating mortality associated with multimorbidity used disease counts, these provide little guidance for managing complex patients as they age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study describes the comorbid conditions in Canadian, community-dwelling older adults with diabetes and the association between the number of comorbidities and health service use and costs.Methods: This retrospective cohort study used multiple linked administrative data to determine 5-year health service utilization in a population-based cohort of community-living individuals aged 66 and over with a diabetes diagnosis as of April 1, 2008 (baseline). Utilization included physician visits, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and home care services.Results: There were 376,421 cohort members at baseline, almost all (95%) of which had at least one comorbidity and half (46%) had 3 or more. The most common comorbidities were hypertension (83%) and arthritis (61%). Service use and associated costs consistently increased as the number of comorbidities increased across all services and follow-up years. Conditions generally regarded as nondiabetes-related were the main driver of service use. Over time, use of most services declined for people with the highest level of comorbidity (3+). Hospitalizations and emergency department visits represented the largest share of costs for those with the highest level of comorbidity (3+), whereas physician visits were the main costs for those with fewer comorbidities.Conclusions: Comorbidities in community-living older adults with diabetes are common and associated with a high level of health service use and costs. Accordingly, it is important to use a multiple chronic conditions (not single-disease) framework to develop coordinated, comprehensive and patient-centred programs for older adults with diabetes so that all their needs are incorporated into care planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]