INTRODUCTION

Patients with multimorbidity who frequently require healthcare may experience a higher treatment burden. In this study, we investigated whether high perceived treatment burden and low perceived health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were associated with healthcare utilisation among patients who attended at least two medical outpatient hospital clinics.

METHODS

Patients who underwent medical treatment in two or more outpatient medical clinics at Silkeborg Regional Hospital in Denmark in August 2018 were included. The patients received a questionnaire containing the Multimorbidity Treatment Burden Questionnaire and the Short Form-12 questionnaire measuring HRQoL in terms of physical and mental health. Information on healthcare utilisation was collected from electronic registers one year prior to receiving the questionnaire. Logistic regression was applied to estimate the odds of 'no/low' and 'high' perceptions of treatment burden and 'low' self-rated HRQoL in relation to healthcare utilisation.

RESULTS

In total, 930 patients (59.8%) answered the questionnaire. The degree of patient-assessed treatment burden was not associated with the number of outpatient contacts, hospital admissions or admission days. A high perceived treatment burden was associated with a high number of general practice contacts, whereas a low treatment burden was associated with fewer contacts in general practice, indicating a dose‒response pattern. The same pattern of associations was observed for perceived physical and mental health.

CONCLUSION

Patients with high perceived treatment burden and low HRQoL seemed to consult their general practitioner primarily despite hospital involvement. These patients may require frequent primary care attention due to other factors than those being treated at the hospital. However, further research is warranted to explore the mechanisms underlying these associations and strategies for reducing treatment burden and enhancing HRQoL in patients with multiple medical conditions.