Findings from University of Neuchatel Yields New Data on Health Insurance (Using case management in a universal health coverage system to improve…

Findings from University of Neuchatel Yields New Data on Health Insurance (Using case management in a universal health coverage system to improve quality of life of frequent Emergency Department users: a randomized controlled trial)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- Research findings on Health Insurance are discussed in a new report. According to news reporting originating in Neuchatel, Switzerland, by VerticalNews journalists, research stated, "Frequent Emergency Department users are likely to experience poor quality of life (QOL). Case management interventions are efficient in responding to the complex needs of this population, but their effects on QOL have not been tested yet."

Financial support for this research came from Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Forderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung.

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from the University of Neuchatel, "Therefore, the aim of our study was to examine to what extent a case management intervention improved frequent Emergency Department users' QOL in a universal health coverage system. Data were part of a randomized controlled trial designed to improve frequent Emergency Department users' QOL at the Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland. A total of 250 frequent Emergency Department users (ae 5 attendances during the previous 12 months) were randomly assigned to the control (n = 125) or the intervention group (n = 125). The latter benefited from case management intervention. QOL was evaluated using the WHOQOL-BREF at baseline, two, five and a half, nine, and twelve months later. It included four dimensions: physical health, psychological health, social relationship, and environment. Linear mixed-effects models were used to analyze the change in the patients' QOL over time. Patients' QOL improved significantly (p < 0.001) in both groups for all dimensions after two months. However, environment QOL dimension improved significantly more in the intervention group after 12 months. Environment QOL dimension was the most responsive dimension for short-term interventions. This may have been due to case management's assistance in obtaining income entitlements, health insurance coverage, stable housing, or finding general health care practitioners."

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "Case management in general should be developed to enhance frequent users' QOL."

For more information on this research see: Using case management in a universal health coverage system to improve quality of life of frequent Emergency Department users: a randomized controlled trial. Quality of Life Research, 2018;27(2):503-513. Quality of Life Research can be contacted at: Springer, Van Godewijckstraat 30, 3311 Gz Dordrecht, Netherlands. (Springer - www.springer.com; Quality of Life Research - www.springerlink.com/content/0962-9343/)

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting K. Iglesias, Univ Neuchatel, Center Understanding Social Proc, Neuchatel, Switzerland. Additional authors for this research include S. Baggio, K. Moschetti, J.B. Wasserfallen, O. Hugli, J.B. Daeppen, B. Burnand and P. Bodenmann.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-017-1739-6. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Keywords for this news article include: Neuchatel, Switzerland, Europe, Clinical Trials and Studies, Health and Medicine, Clinical Research, Health Insurance, Quality of Life, University of Neuchatel.

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