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  • Comparing the prevalence of multimorbidity using different operational definitions in primary care in Singapore based on a cross-sectional study using retrospective, large administrative data

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General practice / Family practice
Original research
Comparing the prevalence of multimorbidity using different operational definitions in primary care in Singapore based on a cross-sectional study using retrospective, large administrative data
  1. Yi An Janis Lee1,
  2. Ying Xie2,
  3. Poay Sian Sabrina Lee2,
  4. Eng Sing Lee1,2
  1. 1National Healthcare Group Polyclinics, Clinical Research Unit, National Healthcare Group, Singapore
  2. 2Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
  1. Correspondence to Dr Eng Sing Lee; Eng_Sing_LEE{at}nhgp.com.sg

Abstract

Objectives Multimorbidity is a norm in primary care. A consensus on its operational definition remains lacking especially in the list of chronic conditions considered. This study aimed to compare six different operational definitions of multimorbidity previously reported in the literature for the context of primary care in Singapore.

Design, setting and participants This is a retrospective study using anonymised primary care data from a study population of 787 446 patients. We defined multimorbidity as having three or more chronic conditions in an individual. The prevalence of single conditions and multimorbidity with each operational definition was tabulated and standardised prevalence rates (SPRs) were obtained by adjusting for age, sex and ethnicity. We compared the operational definitions based on (1) number of chronic diseases, (2) presence of chronic diseases of high burden and (3) relevance in primary care in Singapore. IBM SPSS V.23 and Microsoft Office Excel 2019 were used for all statistical calculations and analyses.

Results The SPRs of multimorbidity in primary care in Singapore varied from 5.7% to 17.2%. The lists by Fortin et al, Ge et al, Low et al and Quah et al included at least 12 chronic conditions, the recommended minimal number of conditions. Quah et al considered the highest proportion of chronic diseases (92.3%) of high burden in primary care in Singapore, with SPRs of at least 1.0%. Picco et al and Subramaniam et al considered the fewest number of conditions of high relevance in primary care in Singapore.

Conclusions Fortin et al’s list of conditions is most suitable for describing multimorbidity in the Singapore primary care setting. Prediabetes and ‘physical disability’ should be added to Fortin et al’s list to augment its comprehensiveness. We propose a similar study methodology be performed in other countries to identify the most suitable operational definition in their own context.

  • primary care
  • public health
  • epidemiology
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-039440

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors ESL and PSSL initiated and conceptualised the study. ESL and YX developed the analysis approach. YAJL conducted the data analysis for this study. YAJL wrote the first draft of the manuscript. YX, PSSL and ESL provided inputs and assisted in the interpretation of the findings. ESL critically reviewed the final version of the article. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

    • Funding This research was supported by the Singapore Ministry of Health’s National Medical Research Council under the Centre Grant Programme (reference number CGAug16C019).

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent for publication Not required.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Data availability statement Data are available upon reasonable request. Data are not available for online access. Readers who wish to gain access to the data can write to the senior author ESL at NHGP_CRU@nhgp.com.sg with their requests. Access can be granted subject to approval of the National Healthcare Group Domain Specific Review Board (DSRB) and in line with the National Healthcare Group Research Data Policy. This is a requirement mandated for this research study by our DSRB and funders.

    • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.