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. 2024 Jan;36(1-2):133-142.
doi: 10.1177/08982643231176669. Epub 2023 May 19.

Hospitalizations, Emergency Department Visits, and Home Health Use Among Older Adults With Sensory Loss

Laura G Wallace  1   2   3 , Karen B Hirschman  1   3 , Liming Huang  1 , Pamela Z Cacchione  1   2   3 , Mary D Naylor  1   3
Affiliations

Hospitalizations, Emergency Department Visits, and Home Health Use Among Older Adults With Sensory Loss

Laura G Wallace et al. J Aging Health. 2024 Jan.

Abstract

Objectives: This study examines healthcare resource use (hospitalizations, emergency department [ED] visits, and home health episodes) among adults 65 and older diagnosed with hearing, vision, or dual sensory loss (SL) seen in the primary care setting of an academic health system. Methods: Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between SL (identified using ICD-10 codes) and healthcare resource use for 45,000 primary care patients. Results: The sample included 5.5% (N = 2479) with hearing loss, 10.4% (N = 4697) with vision loss, and 1.0% with dual SL (N = 469). Hearing loss increased the likelihood of having an ED visit (OR = 1.22, CI: 1.07-1.39), and home health services (OR = 1.27, CI: 1.07-1.51) compared to older adults without any SL. Vision loss reduced the likelihood of having a hospitalization (OR = .81, CI: .73-.91). Discussion: Findings support research into the drivers of healthcare use among older adults with sensory loss.

Keywords: healthcare use; hearing loss; sensory loss; vision loss.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Odds ratio (OR) plots for multivariate binomial logistic regression models: hospitalization, ED, and home health utilization for hearing, vision, and dual sensory loss OR for healthcare utilization indicate likelihood of at least one hospitalization, ED visit or home health service use. Models controlled for race, gender, age, comorbidities, and site characteristics.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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