Source
Klinik und Poliklinik für Allgemeinmedizin, Naturheilkunde, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie, Charité - Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany. f_burgdorf@web.de
Abstract
PURPOSE:
The objective of the study was to identify predictors of health-care utilization in Crohn's disease.
PATIENTS AND METHODS:
Therefore, data of 499 patients was collected over a 2-year period. A sample of 87 patients was taken and analyzed. Health-care utilization was measured as work disability days and hospital bed days. Sociodemographic, mental as well as somatic variables were used as possible predictors of health-care utilization.
RESULTS:
In a linear regression model with work disability days, the variables gender (b = 43.01; p = 0.032) and depressiveness (b = 2.949; p = 0.014) turned out to be significant (R(2) = 0.189). In a linear regression model with hospital bed days, the variables gender (b = 19.863; p = 0.006) and age (b = 0.785; p = 0.029) proved to be significant (R(2) = 0.114). No significant result was found for somatic variables such as severity of disease.
CONCLUSION:
Psychosocial variables such as depressiveness, gender and age have, therefore, a low but measurable impact on health-care utilization of patients with Crohn's disease. Increased consideration of these variables in clinical practice would not only improve the quality of life of these patients but also reduce health-care utilization.