Patient-Centred Medical Home (PCMH) show benefits for older adults with complex needs

​A six-month study on the PCMH discovered that older adults who were cared for by a multi-disciplinary team of healthcare professionals such as doctors, registered nurses, programme coordinators and care managers, appeared to be more engaged in managing their health and were more proactive in being healthier.

The PCMH programme aimed to care for older patients who live in the community, and who have chronic conditions, along with a complex combination of physical health illnesses, psychological needs as well as social care needs.   

It also provided a comprehensive assessment, and care plans were designed based on the individual needs and preferences of the patients. The same healthcare team cared for these patients so their care was more coordinated, providing a better experience over time.

Participants in the study were surveyed at the start and end of the programme in a survey that consisted of four instruments.

The 5-level EuroQoL 5-dimension (EQ-5D-5L) instrument assessed their quality of life. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) allowed participants to rate how they felt about their health.  The Control Autonomy Self-realisation Pleasure (CASP-19) instrument assessed how well they felt that their needs were met, and the 13-item Patient Activation Measure (PAM-13) instrument assessed their knowledge, skills and confidence in managing their illnesses and caring for themselves.

To find out more about the paper please click on the link below:

Impact of a patient-centered medical home demonstration on quality of life and patient
activation for older adults with complex needs in Singapore. BMC Geriatrics, 21(435).
Sum, G., Ho, S. H., Lim, Z. Z. B., Chay, J., Ginting, M. L., Tsao, M. A., & Wong, C. H. (2021). https://bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12877-021-02371-y.