{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: Profiles of healthcare use of persons living with dementia: A population-based cohort study.
{Author}: Dufour I;Margo-Dermer E;Hudon C;Sirois C;Godard-Sebillotte C;Sourial N;Rochette L;Quesnel-Vallée A;Vedel I;
{Journal}: Geriatr Gerontol Int
{Volume}: 0
{Issue}: 0
{Year}: 2024 Jul 5
{Factor}: 3.387
{DOI}: 10.1111/ggi.14930
{Abstract}: <B>OBJECTIVE: </B>Persons living with dementia are a heterogeneous population with complex needs whose healthcare use varies widely. This study aimed to identify the healthcare use profiles in a cohort of persons with incident dementia, and to describe their characteristics.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>This is a retrospective cohort study of health administrative data in Quebec (Canada). The study population included persons who: (i) had an incident dementia diagnosis between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2016; (ii) were aged ≥65 years and living in the community at the time of diagnosis. We carried out a latent class analysis to identify subgroups of healthcare users. The final number of groups was chosen based on clinical interpretation and statistical indicators.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>The study cohort consisted of 15 584 individuals with incident dementia. Four profiles of healthcare users were identified: (i) Low Users (36.4%), composed of individuals with minimal healthcare use and fewer comorbidities; (ii) Ambulatory Care-Centric Users (27.5%), mainly composed of men with the highest probability of visiting cognition specialists; (iii) High Acute Hospital Users (23.6%), comprised of individuals mainly diagnosed during hospitalization, with higher comorbidities and mortality rate; and (iv) Long-Term Care Destined Users (12.5%), who showed the highest proportion of antipsychotics prescriptions and delayed hospitalization discharge.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>We identified four distinct subgroups of healthcare users within a population of persons living with dementia, providing a valuable context for the development of interventions tailored to specific needs within this diverse population. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; ••: ••-••.