Association Between Loneliness and Postoperative Mortality Among Medicare Beneficiaries

Mary R Shen; Pasithorn A Suwanabol; Ryan A Howard; Hsou Mei Hu; Deborah A Levine; Kenneth M Langa; Jennifer F Waljee

doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2022.4784

Association Between Loneliness and Postoperative Mortality Among Medicare Beneficiaries

JAMA Surg. 2023 Feb 1;158(2):212-214. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2022.4784.

Authors

Mary R Shen^{1

2}, Pasithorn A Suwanabol^{1

2}, Ryan A Howard^{1

2}, Hsou Mei Hu^{1

3}, Deborah A Levine^{4

5}, Kenneth M Langa^{3

6

7

8}, Jennifer F Waljee^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Center for Healthcare Outcomes and Policy, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
² Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor.
³ Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
⁴ Cognitive Health Services Research Program, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
⁵ Department of Neurology and Stroke Program, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor.
⁶ Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor.
⁷ Veterans Affairs Center for Clinical Management Research, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
⁸ Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor.

No abstract available

Plain language summary

This cohort study uses data from the Health and Retirement Study and Medicare claims to examine the association between loneliness and postoperative mortality after elective vs nonelective surgery among older adults.

MeSH terms

Aged
Humans
Loneliness*
Medicare*
United States / epidemiology

Grants and funding

U01 AG009740/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States