Status of medical care needs among the elderly at Thai Binh city in 2023

Abstract

Objective: Assess the status of medical care needs among the elderly in Thai Binh city. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 420 elderly people living in 5 communes of Thai Binh city in 2023. Use the Charlson Comorbidity Index and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale tools to assess the presence of comorbidities, assess living functions and the ability to use tools. Assess health care needs using Vo Van Thang’s toolkit. Results: Regarding the need for care at medical stations: 34% of elderly people needed care for chronic diseases; 13.3% required hospice care; 37.1% needed medical station staff to provide home care; 23.3% needed rehabilitation; 60.5% needed health advice; 64% needed periodic monitoring. Regarding health care at home: 85% of elderly people needed health care at home; 48.6% of needed for home examination; 16% needed post-operative care; 47.4% needed injections and medication; 81.7% needed periodic monitoring; 38.8% needed pain control; 39% and 50% had a need for dietary assessment and dietary guidance; 21% needed blood and urine tests; 20.5% needed to transport patients; 25.2% needed acupuncture. Regarding the need to provide disease information: 47.1% needed to provide information about chronic diseases; 69.8% needed information about drug use; 58.3% needed information about disease recurrence prevention; 39.5% needed information on pain control and 5.7% needed nutritional advice. Conclusion: Elderly people in Thai Binh city had high demand for disease information, consultation, health care at home and medical stations