These are patients who are older, more functionally impaired, dependent, and have a higher risk prognostic stratification
October 18, 2022. 11:01 a.m.
The profile of patients admitted to Internal Medicine services has changed in recent years. According to data from the Spanish Society of Internal Medicine (SEMI), currently 61 percent of patients admitted to Internal Medicine are already complex chronic and 40 percent are multi-pathological.
It should be noted that a multipathological patient is one who has two or more complex chronic diseases that evolve over the years. Generally, it is a group of pathologies that are characterized by producing a significant deterioration in the quality of life. But in polypathology, in addition, there is usually a special susceptibility and clinical fragility.
Therefore, it is important to identify those patients who have aa frequent demand for care due to exacerbations and the appearance of interrelated pathologies that aggravate their situation. All this with progressive functional deterioration and a high risk of falling into the dependency and disability cascade. The latter are complex chronic patients.
It is also regarding patients with older age, more functional impairment, dependence, and higher risk prognostic stratification. In addition, 60 percent have a high degree of dependency for basic activities of daily living (ABCV).
Profile of complex chronic patients
This has been revealed in the IX Meeting of Complex Chronic Patient of the SEMI. In this regard, the experts agreed that “it is important to avoid hospitalization as much as possible.” However, the loss of functionality that occurs during the hospitalizations of these patients has been demonstrated. Likewise, it is necessary to promote specific care programs during admission to avoid both functional deterioration and fragmentation of care.
The most prevalent pathologies of complex chronic patients with multiple pathologies who are admitted to the Intern are heart diseases (68 percent); chronic kidney disease (49 percent); neurological (43 percent) and respiratory (32 percent) diseases.
In this way, the global multidimensional assessment, care coordination at discharge and an individualized plan focused on each person are key in the management of this type of patient.
