International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

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Prof. Dr. Koyin Chang

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Department of Healthcare Information and Management, Ming Chuan University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan
Interests: health-related quality of life; comorbidities; disease severity; health policy; nursing intervention

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Post-acute care is an effective nursing service that links the hospital and the community. As a bridge between the hospital and the next steps to recovery, post-acute care supports patients in regaining strength and relieving them from pain caused by illness. Scholars in healthcare service areas have conducted extensive research and achieved different conclusions about the effectiveness of post-acute care. However, with the depleted medical resources in the 21st century, it has become a matter of urgency to find ways to provide more and better post-acute care services for patients. The tasks include reducing burnout of healthcare professionals such as clinicians, nurses, technicians, and aids and facilitating prescription drug dispensing practice with appropriate drug policy changes.

This Special Issue aims to collect the latest research in the field of post-acute disease care, caregiving, and prescription drug policy. We plan to provide a new perspective on recent research on medical intervention. We invite the submission of original research articles, reviews, and opinions to be published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health by MDPI. Qualitative or quantitative contributions from basic or applied research that will extend the knowledge in the related fields are welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Koyin Chang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

post-acute care
long-term care
health-related quality of life
prescription drug policy
nursing quality
healthcare utilization
nursing care delivery

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1055 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Medication Assessment in an Older Population during Acute Care Hospitalization and Its Effect on the Anticholinergic Burden: A Prospective Cohort Study

by Mariona Espaulella-Ferrer, Nuria Molist-Brunet, Joan Espaulella-Panicot, Daniel Sevilla-Sánchez, Emma Puigoriol-Juvanteny and Marta Otero-Viñas

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(7), 5322; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20075322 - 30 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1538

Abstract

(1) Background: Anticholinergic and sedative drugs (ASDs) contribute to negative health outcomes, especially in the frail population. In this study, we aimed to assess whether frailty increases with anticholinergic burden and to evaluate the effects of medication reviews (MRs) on ASD regimens among patients attending an acute care for the elderly (ACE) unit. (2) Methods: A cohort study was conducted between June 2019 and October 2020 with 150 consecutive patients admitted to our ACE unit. Demographic, clinical, and pharmacological data were assessed. Frailty score was determined using the Frail-VIG index (FI-VIG), and ASD burden was quantified using the drug burden index (DBI). In addition, the MR was performed using the patient-centered prescription (PCP) model. We used a paired T-test to compare the DBI pre- and post-MR and univariate and multivariate regression to identify the factors associated with frailty. (3) Results: Overall, 85.6% (n = 128) of participants showed some degree of frailty (FI-VIG > 0.20) and 84% (n = 126) of patients received treatment with ASDs upon admission (pre-MR). As the degree of frailty increased, so did the DBI (p < 0.001). After the implementation of the MR through the application of the PCP model, a reduction in the DBI was noted (1.06 ± 0.8 versus 0.95 ± 0.7) (p < 0.001). After adjusting for covariates, the association between frailty and the DBI was apparent (OR: 11.42, 95% (CI: 2.77–47.15)). (4) Conclusions: A higher DBI was positively associated with frailty. The DBI decreased significantly in frail patients after a personalized MR. Thus, MRs focusing on ASDs are crucial for frail older patients. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-Acute Care, Caregiving, and Prescription Drug Policy)

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14 pages, 524 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing Quality of Life with Community Dwelling Elderly Adults: A Mass Survey in Taiwan

by Ying-Chen Chi, Chen-Long Wu and Hsiang-Te Liu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(22), 14621; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214621 - 8 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1772

Abstract

Background: With the growing life expectancy for older adults, this study aims to examine the correlation among sociodemographic characteristics and the combined effect of QoL-related domains including physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environmental factors with the overall QoL level of older adults in Taiwan. Methods: The WHOQOL-BREF Taiwanese Version questionnaire was adopted and conducted using a randomized telephone interview system from community household elders. In total, 1078 participants aged 65 years and older were recruited. A multiple regression model was used to examine the statistical significance between the overall QoL score as the dependent variable and the sociodemographic characteristics, and 26 items of QoL-related questionnaires as the independent variables. Results: Categories including female, aged 85 years and above, higher education level, and better financial situation had significantly higher overall QoL level. Except the physical health domain and six items, the correlations among all other domains and their including items of questionnaires with overall QoL level were significant. Conclusion: The Taiwanese WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire can be used to examine the overall QoL level of elders in Taiwan. Nevertheless, the robust systems of universal health care and long-term care in Taiwan may have led to the no significance of the six items. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Post-Acute Care, Caregiving, and Prescription Drug Policy)

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