Background: Chronic conditions are an increasing concern for healthcare systems, with conditions such as obesity, overweight, and type 2 diabetes (T2D) increasing in prevalence with ageing populations. For example, globally it is estimated that 43% of adults aged 18 years and over are overweight, 16% are living with obesity, and T2D affects 6.28%. As treatments grow more complex, understanding healthcare resource utilisation (HCRU) and outcomes in patients with chronic conditions and multimorbidity is crucial for optimising care.
Study Aims: This study aims to assess HCRU and clinical outcomes in patients with chronic conditions and multimorbidity such as t2d, overweight, obesity, cardiovascular disease, heart failure, and chronic liver conditions. The study further seeks to identify subpopulations with unmet healthcare needs and track HCRU over time by observing combinations of multimorbidity. A secondary aim is to evaluate HCRU and outcomes in patients with varying levels of physical function.
Methods: This observational study will use UK Biobank data linked to primary and secondary care. Descriptive analyses will summarise HCRU patterns, followed by multivariable models to assess the impact of covariates on HCRU (e.g., age, sex, medications, BMI, chronic conditions, and interactions between variables). Time-to-event modelling will be utilised to assess the cumulative incidence of outcomes for those with chronic conditions. Propensity score matching will be used to compare HCRU and outcomes between patients with and without chronic conditions of interest.
Impact: Results will be used to provide comparative insights to inform healthcare policies and future trial designs. Assessing combinations of multimorbidity will enable the identification of high unmet need in subpopulations.