Validity of medication-based co-morbidity indices in the Australian elderly population

  1. Agnes Vitry1,
  2. Soo Ann Wong1,
  3. Elizabeth E. Roughead1,
  4. Emmae Ramsay2,
  5. John Barratt3

Article first published online: 7 APR 2009

DOI: 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2009.00357.x

Issue

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health

Volume 33, Issue 2, pages 126–130, April 2009

Additional Information

How to Cite

Vitry, A., Wong, S. A., Roughead, E. E., Ramsay, E. and Barratt, J. (2009), Validity of medication-based co-morbidity indices in the Australian elderly population. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 33: 126–130. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2009.00357.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, Sansom Institute, University of South Australia

  2. 2

    Discipline of Public Health, University of Adelaide, South Australia

  3. 3

    Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, Sansom Institute, University of South Australia

*Correspondence to: Dr Agnes Vitry, Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, Sansom Institute, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide SA 5001. Fax: (08) 8302 1087; e-mail: Agnes.Vitry@unisa.edu.au

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 7 APR 2009
  2. Article first published online: 7 APR 2009
  3. Submitted: March 2008 Revision requested: September 2008 Accepted: January 2009

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Keywords:

  • co-morbidity;
  • chronic disease/drug therapy;
  • drug prescriptions;
  • risk adjustment/methods

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the validity of two medication-based co-morbidity indices, the Medicines Disease Burden Index (MDBI) and Rx-Risk-V in the Australian elderly population.

Methods: In Phase I, the sensitivity and specificity of both indices were determined in 767 respondents from wave 6 of the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ALSA). Medication-defined index disease categories were compared to self-reported medical conditions. Correlation with self-rated health was examined and Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the predictive validity for mortality. Phase II verified the predictive ability of Rx-Risk-V in a sample of 213,191 veterans from Australian Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) database.

Results: MDBI and Rx-Risk-V scores could be calculated for 28% and 73% of the ALSA sample respectively. Both indices had high specificities and low to moderate sensitivities compared to self-reported medical conditions. Total weighted scores were significantly related to self-rated health (p<0.001). Both indices were predictive of mortality (Hazard Ratio (HR) =3.690 (95% CI 2.264-6.015) for MDBI and HR 1.079 (95% CI 1.045-1.114) for Rx-Risk-V. The predictive validity for mortality of Rx-Risk-V was confirmed using DVA data (HR= 1.090, 95% CI 1.088-1.092).

Conclusions: Medication-based co-morbidity indices Rx-Risk-V and MDBI are valid measures of co-morbidity. However, Rx-Risk-V detects more comorbidity in the Australian elderly population and is likely to be a more suitable index to use in administrative datasets, particularly where studies include large numbers of outpatients.

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