Primary care continuity and potentially avoidable hospitalization in persons with dementia

To measure the association between high primary care continuity and potentially avoidable hospitalization in community-dwelling persons with dementia. Our hypothesis was that high primary care continuity is associated with fewer potentially avoidable hospitalizations.

Population-based retrospective cohort (2012-2016), with inverse probability of treatment weighting using the propensity score.

Quebec (Canada) health administrative database, recording most primary, secondary and tertiary care services provided via the public universal health insurance system.

Population-based sample of 22,060 community-dwelling 65 + persons with dementia on March 31st, 2015, with at least two primary care visits in the preceding year (mean age 81 years, 60% female). Participants were followed for 1 year, or until death or long-term care admission.

High primary care continuity on March 31st, 2015, i.e., having had every primary care visit with the same primary care physician, during the preceding year.

Primary: Potentially avoidable hospitalization in the follow-up period as defined by ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC) hospitalization (general and older population definitions), 30-day hospital readmission; Secondary: Hospitalization and emergency department visit.

Among the 22,060 persons, compared with the persons with low primary care continuity, the 14,515 (65.8%) persons with high primary care continuity had a lower risk of ACSC hospitalization (general population definition) (relative risk reduction 0.82, 95% CI 0.72-0.94), ACSC hospitalization (older population definition) (0.87, 0.79-0.95), 30-day hospital readmission (0.81, 0.72-0.92), hospitalization (0.90, 0.86-0.94), and emergency department visit (0.92, 0.90-0.95). The number needed to treat to prevent one event were, respectively, 118 (69-356), 87 (52-252), 97 (60-247), 23 (17-34), and 29 (21-47).

Increasing continuity with a primary care physician might be an avenue to reduce potentially avoidable hospitalizations in community-dwelling persons with dementia on a population-wide level.