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Editorial |
Multimorbidity in primary care: developing the research agenda
a General Practice and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
b Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
c Alliance for Self-care Research, Department of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
Correspondence to: Stewart W Mercer, General Practice & Primary Care, 1 Horselethill Road, Glasgow G12 9LX, UK; Email: s.mercer@clinmed.gla.ac.uk
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Multimorbidity - usually defined as the co-existence of two or more long-term conditions in an individual - is the norm rather than the exception in primary care patients1,2 and will become more prevalent as populations age.3,1 Multimorbidity cuts across the vertical paradigms in which most health research and policy is envisaged, supported and carried out, reflecting not only specialist interests in particular problems and diseases, but also the tendency of research to focus on easily defined issues. "Complicated" patients with multimorbidity are usually excluded from such research.
Although complexity is under-represented in the research literature, it is common place in general medical practice, where the challenges are "horizontal", integrating not only at
Definitions
Age
The need for new interventions
Methods and Outcome measures