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BackgroundHealth-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important indicator for designing care and treatment services for patients with diabetes. This is especially true given its rapid increase among the elderly population in Vietnam. HRQoL data in elderly diabetic Vietnamese are currently limited. This study aimed to 1) measure the HRQoL of elderly patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in Vietnam and 2) identify related factors and their relationship with HRQoL.Patients and methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted. We recruited 171 patients aged ≥60 years with T2DM at the Outpatient Department, National Geriatric Hospital from June to November 2015. Patients were asked to evaluate their health status using the EuroQol Five Dimensions Three Levels (EQ-5D-3L) and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Sociodemographic, diabetic treatment, and management characteristics were collected. Multivariate Tobit regression was used to determine which factors were associated with HRQoL, and the strength of this relationship.ResultsPatients reported some problems in all areas of the EQ-5D: pain/discomfort (50.9%), mobility (33.3%), anxiety/depression (24.0%), usual activities (21.1%), and self-care (10.5%). The mean EQ-5D index score was 0.80 (SD=0.20), and the mean EQ-VAS was 57.5 (SD=14.4). Patients who were male, lived in an urban area, could afford treatment, were taking fewer medications, and monitored blood pressure often (1–4 times a week) had a higher EQ-5D index when compared to other groups. Meanwhile, a longer duration of diabetes and older age were negatively associated with the EQ-5D index. Patients with any comorbidity had lower VAS scores than their counterparts.ConclusionThe presence of diabetes and comorbidity were responsible for a significant decrease in HRQoL. Screening and identifying health problems, providing prompt treatment, and facilitating self-management among patients have the potential to increase diabetic patients’ HRQoL.

This study assessed the knowledge and attitude toward palliative care for the elderly among health professionals in a tertiary geriatric hospital in Vietnam and explored their determinants. Cross-sectional data were obtained on 161 geriatric health professionals at the National Geriatric Hospital. Modified-Palliative Care Knowledge Test and Frommelt Attitudes Toward Care of the Dying instruments were used to measure knowledge and attitude toward geriatric palliative care. As a result, 40.5% physicians and 74.2% nurses showed insufficient knowledge about geriatric palliative care (p < 0.05). The lowest score was for dyspnea, following by gastrointestinal and pain problems. No significant difference was found regarding the attitude between physicians and nurses (p > 0.05). Health professional category, age, and years of experience were found to be associated with knowledge about palliative care. Meanwhile, only knowledge score had correlations with total attitude score (Coef. = 0.2; 95%CI = 0.1–0.3), attitude toward patients (Coef. = 0.1; 95%CI = 0.0–0.1) and toward patients’ family (Coef. = 0.1; 95%CI = 0.0–0.1). This study highlights a significant knowledge gap and preferable attitude toward palliative care for the elderly among physicians and nurses in the geriatric hospital. Intensive training about geriatric palliative care, focusing on pain, dyspnea and gastrointestinal issue management, should be performed to ensure the quality of palliative care services, especially in nurses.

BackgroundFrailty is an emerging issue in geriatrics and gerontology. The prevalence of frailty is increasing as the population ages. Like many developing countries, Vietnam has a rapidly ageing population. However, there have been no studies about frailty in older people in Vietnam. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of frailty and its associated factors in older hospitalised patients at the National Geriatric Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam.MethodsProspective observational study in inpatients aged ≥60 years at the National Geriatric Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam from 4/2015 to 10/2015. Frailty was assessed using the Reported Edmonton Frail Scale (REFS) and Fried frailty phenotype.ResultsA total of 461 patients were recruited (56.8% female, mean age 76.2 ± 8.9 years). The prevalence of frailty was 31.9% according to the REFS. Using the Fried frailty criteria, the percentages of non-frail, pre-frail and frail participants were 24.5, 40.1 and 35.4%, respectively. Factors associated with frailty defined by REFS were age (OR 1.05 per year, 95% CI 1.03–1.08), poor reported nutritional status (OR 4.51, 95% CI 2.15–9.44), and not finishing high school (OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.37–3.46). Factors associated with frailty defined by the Fried frailty criteria included age (OR 1.07 per year, 95% CI 1.05–1.10), poor reported nutritional status (OR 2.96, 95%CI 1.43–6.11), not finishing high school (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.01–2.46) and cardiovascular disease (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.16–2.67).ConclusionsWhile further studies are needed to examine the impact of frailty on outcomes in Vietnam, the observed high prevalence of frailty in older inpatients is likely to have implications for health policy and planning for the ageing population in Vietnam.

As in much of the world, the elderly population in Vietnam is growing rapidly with two-thirds of them currently living in rural areas. Besides limited access to quality healthcare services, they also have unique health profiles and needs due to various factors, including the highly skewed sex ratio of more women residing in rural areas. However, the relationship between gender, health-seeking behaviors, and health outcomes in this under-served population has not been well characterized. This study sought to explore the associations of gender with health-related quality of life and health-seeking behavior among the elderly in Soc Son, a rural district of Hanoi, Vietnam. A cross-sectional design was used; elderly individuals were surveyed across the domains of socioeconomic information, health status, and healthcare service utilization. We found that overall, women had poorer health and quality of life even though gender difference did not appear to significantly influence their levels of health services utilization. A greater understanding of the systemic, sociocultural, and psychological factors underlying such differences may help better inform future healthcare service delivery strategies targeting this growing population in rural areas.