By Søren T. Skou, Frances S. Mair, Martin Fortin,Bruce Guthrie, Bruno P. Nunes, J. Jaime Miranda, Cynthia M. Boyd, Sanghamitra Pati, Sally Mtenga, Susan M. Smith
An international, interdisciplinary group of researchers and clinicians from nine different countries across five continents recently completed a review on multimorbidity, which was published in Nature Reviews Disease Primers, a top five general medical journal (journal impact factor of 65) [1]. The review, called a Primer, provides a global overview of a specific medical field as well as outlining future directions and research questions. Primers provide clinicians and researchers around the world with an understanding of the epidemiology, mechanisms/pathophysiology, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for a specific medical condition or concept.
The process leading to the publication of the multimorbidity Primer started in January 2021 when the authors drafted a pre-submission inquiry, which was sent to the journal. After this the journal invited us to prepare a manuscript for submission, which was sent for peer review and finally accepted after several rounds of revision and published in July 2022. We put a lot of work into writing the manuscript, but it was a very rewarding process as it gave us an opportunity to collaborate and review the latest literature on multimorbidity and develop ideas for future projects together.
The primer underlined the burden of multimorbidity on individuals, carers and society, especially in socioeconomically deprived communities. Furthermore, it highlighted the complex, interrelated and multilevel mechanisms involved in the development of multimorbidity, including aging, biological mechanisms, and broader socio-determinants of health. Evidence for prevention and treatment is still limited. While there is more literature on interventions there is still no clear evidence to guide clinical practice and policy. The Primer suggests that interventions for multimorbidity may be person-centred, complex and multifaceted, and among other things focus on psychosocial and behavioural factors. The Primer also highlighted the need for further research particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Finally, the Primer calls for a change in focus for clinical practice and training to become more multimorbidity focused along with a shift in healthcare to support proper prevention and management of multimorbidity.
To read more, you can find the full Primer for free here: https://rdcu.be/cRBzm
You will also be able to find an infographic associated with the Primer here: https://rdcu.be/cTqpw
It provides a quick overview of the review findings for your clinical practice or workspace.
1 Multimorbidity. Skou ST, Mair FS, Fortin M, Guthrie B, Nunes BP, Miranda JJ, Boyd CM, Pati S, Mtenga S, Smith SM. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2022 Jul 14;8(1):48. doi: 10.1038/s41572-022-00376-4.
