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Multimorbidity and use of health services among Brazilians

Special Week on Epidemiology and Health Services 2024

References

A man dressed in surgical scrubs, with a stethoscope around his neck, his left hand resting just below his chin. His face is not visible due to the cropping of the photograph. He is standing in front of an artificial background with various illuminated health-related icons.

Thaynã Ramos Flores, Associate Editor of the Epidemiology and Health Services Journal: SUS Journal (RESS), Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas/RS, Brazil.

The prevalence of chronic conditions has increased in Brazil in recent decades. The 2013 National Health Survey (PNS) showed that 24.2% of respondents reported having two or more non-communicable chronic diseases. Data from the literature show that Brazilians are presenting with chronic diseases at increasingly younger ages compared to populations in more developed countries, highlighting the problem, especially in the context of health services and care management.

The article entitled “Multimorbidity and use of health services in the Brazilian population: National Health Survey 2019” , by Ana Sara Semeão de Souza, recently published in the journal Epidemiology and Health Services: Journal of the Brazilian Unified Health System (RESS, vol. 32, no. 3, 2023), aimed to describe the prevalence of health service use due to multimorbidity, according to sociodemographic and health characteristics of the Brazilian population, in addition to analyzing the relationship between multimorbidity and the use of health services.

Image: Freepik

Based on data from the 2019 National Health Survey (PNS), it was identified that the frequency of use of health services was higher among individuals with multimorbidity, with variations according to the type of health service and sex. The prevalence of multimorbidity was 24.1%, and the search for health services in the last 15 days (in the context of the survey) was 38% higher among individuals with multimorbidity compared to those without multimorbidity.

It was also found that the prevalence of medical consultations and hospitalizations in the year prior to the interview was higher among those with two or more chronic conditions. These findings varied between the sexes. The female population sought more care, while the male population had a higher frequency of medical consultations. No differences were observed between the sexes regarding hospital admissions.

As expected, the population with multimorbidity used health services more frequently compared to those without this condition. Therefore, it is crucial to emphasize proposals for comprehensive healthcare models for this population, which go beyond focusing on disease, aiming to improve care for people with this condition.

BRAZIL, MINISTRY OF HEALTH. Strategic action plan for tackling chronic diseases and non-communicable conditions in Brazil 2021-2030 [online]. Portal Gov. 2020 [viewed 09 April 2024]. https://www.gov.br/saude/pt-br/centrais-de-conteudo/publicacoes/cartilhas/2021/09-plano-de-dant-2022_2030.pdf

NGUYEN, H., et al . Prevalence of multimorbidity in community settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. J. Comorb [online]. 2019, vol. 9, pp. 1-15 [viewed 09 April 2024]. https://doi.org/10.1177/2235042X19870934 . Available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2235042X19870934

STOPA, SR, et al . National Health Survey 2019: history, methods and perspectives. Epidemiol Serv Saude [online]. 2020, vol. 29, no. 5, e2020315 [viewed 09 April 2024]. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1679-49742020000500004 . Available from: https://www.scielo.br/j/ress/a/RdbtmCHjJGt8xDW6bV3Y6JB/

Shi, X., et al . Prevalence of multimorbidity of chronic noncommunicable diseases in Brazil: population-based study. JMIR Public Health Surveill [online]. 2021, vol. 7, no. 11, e29693 [viewed 09 April 2024]. https://doi.org/10.2196/29693 . Available from: https://publichealth.jmir.org/2021/11/e29693