[Adjusted morbidity groups: A new multiple morbidity measurement of use in Primary Care]

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Public Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Existing morbidity measurement tools may not fully capture the nuances of the Spanish healthcare system.
• A need exists for a standardized method to classify population health status and complexity within Spain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate the Adjusted Morbidity Groups (GMA) as a novel morbidity measurement tool for the Spanish healthcare system.
• To demonstrate the utility of GMA in stratifying the population based on morbidity and complexity.

Main Methods:

• Development and adaptation of the Adjusted Morbidity Groups (GMA) using Spanish healthcare data.
• Classification of the population into 6 morbidity groups and 5 complexity levels, plus a healthy group, resulting in 31 mutually exclusive categories.
• Application and analysis of GMA stratification in Catalonia.

Main Results:

• The GMA system successfully stratifies the population into 31 distinct categories.
• GMA demonstrates strong explanatory and predictive capabilities regarding health resource utilization indicators.
• The stratification results in Catalonia provide a practical application of the GMA methodology.

Conclusions:

• The Adjusted Morbidity Groups (GMA) is a viable and effective morbidity measurement tool tailored for the Spanish healthcare context.
• GMA facilitates population stratification and the identification of specific target populations for health interventions.
• The Spanish Ministry of Health's promotion indicates the potential for widespread adoption of GMA within the National Health System.