Towards increased visibility of multimorbidity research

Abstract

The number of people living with comorbidity, multimorbidity, or multiple chronic conditions, hereafter referred to as “multimorbidity” (see Box 1) [1,2], has become the norm rather than the exception in healthcare. In developed countries, approximately one in four adults have at least two chronic conditions [3,4], and over half of older adults have three or more [5]. Although the prevalence of multimorbidity increases with age, many studies have reported high rates of multimorbidity even among younger adults [6].Multimorbidity negatively impacts patient outcomes, including physical and psychological functioning, quality of life, and life expectancy [7,8]. It also complicates treatment and increases healthcare utilization and costs [9–11]. Despite representing a large – and growing – proportion of adults seen in primary care today, there is a major gap in our understanding of how best to address, meet, and satisfy the complex care needs of patients with multimorbidity [11]. The traditional single-disease model of care does not work for them, and multimorbidity should definitively not be considered as the simple juxtaposition of independent conditions [12,13].Fortunately though, interest in multimorbidity is growing worldwide, and has become a healthcare and research priority [14,15]. An international community interested in multimorbidity research has recently emerged and become organized through different activities, such as the creation of the Journal of Comorbidity, a weblog that hosts and supports the exchanges from the International Research Community on Multimorbidity [16], the organization of an international forum [17] at the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) congress, and the publication of an “ABC of Multimorbidity” [1]. Journal of Comorbidity 2016;6(2):42–4