Health-related quality of life and health service use among older adults with osteoarthritis.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and health service use among older adults with osteoarthritis (OA).


METHODS
Subjects were 9,043 Medicare-enrolled survey respondents with a prior International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code for OA. Analyses examined the relationship of 5 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HRQOL items (general health, mental health, pain, activity limitation, and sleep) to physician visits, prescription analgesic or antiinflammatory use, and arthroplasty during 1 year of followup.


RESULTS
In analyses controlling for demographic and health-related variables, greater pain frequency was associated with increased odds of visiting a physician, using analgesic or antiinflammatory drugs, and having arthroplasty (P < 0.001). Poorer general health was associated with increased odds of analgesic or antiinflammatory use but decreased odds of arthroplasty (P < 0.01). More days of activity limitation and poor mental health were associated with decreased odds of analgesic or antiinflammatory use (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
These HRQOL variables, especially pain frequency, can be valuable tools for estimating future health care use among older adults with OA.
Dominick
Kelli L
KL
Durham Veterans Administration Medical Center, HSR&D, Durham North Carolina 27705, USA.
Ahern
Frank M
FM
Gold
Carol H
CH
Heller
Debra A
DA
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001178:Arthroplasty; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D006278:Medicare; D008603:Mental Health; D016017:Odds Ratio; D009819:Office Visits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011788:Quality of Life; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D014481:United States
D000700:Analgesics; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents