Multimorbidity

In a recent study of patients in Edinburgh, London and Warwick we discovered that most people during their last year of life had multiple needs requiring a range of health and social services.

However such patients and their family carers reported these services to be inflexible, unresponsive and poorly coordinated.

Family carers played a significant role in managing the care of patients with multimorbidity and often bridged the gaps in professional care coordination. Patients wanted to retain a sense of autonomy and self-control often through limiting their interactions with the health service. Identifying such patients is crucial so that they can receive equitable care appropriate to their multiple needs.

Multimorbid patients receive much less palliative care than cancer patients with an equivalent burden of need.

Funder

National Institute for Health Research

Research Team

Bruce Mason, Kirsty Boyd, Anne Donaldson, Marilyn Kendall, Allison Worth, Scott Murray

Read more

'My body's falling apart.' Understanding the experiences of patients with advanced multimorbidity to improve care: serial interviews with patients and carers. BMJ Support Palliat Care. 2016 Mar;6(1):60-5.