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By William A. Satariano and Cynthia M. Boyd
“Multiple Chronic Conditions: A Strategic Framework” is a seminal report and the heart of a US strategic initiative, released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in December 2010. The purpose of the special initiative is to focus the attention and resources of the US government on the research, practice, and policy implications of multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) [1]. The Journal of Comorbidity (JoC) recently published a special issue to consider the MCC report from a broader international perspective, to our knowledge, the first scientific journal to do so [2].
As co-editors of the special issue, we, together with Sandra Cox, the JoC Senior Editor, invited a team of international scholars to respond to the MCC report, as summarized for the special issue by Anand K. Parekh and Richard A. Goodman from the US HHS. Both Parekh and Goodman were instrumental in the development of the MCC report; and, we thought, uniquely qualified to summarize, for our purposes, the key research objectives of the special initiative.
Each scholar was asked to address one of the key research objectives of the MCC report and, whenever possible, to highlight some of the current research, practice, and policy from their home countries. The scholars and their topics are Martin Fortin and Susan M. Smith (Canada and Ireland), Improving the external validity of clinical trials: the case of multiple chronic conditions; Francois G. Schellevis (the Netherlands), Epidemiology of multiple chronic conditions: an international perspective; Jose M. Valderas (United Kingdom), Increasing clinical,, community, and patient-centered health research for preventing and managing multimorbidity; and Efrat Shadmi (Israel), Disparities in multiple chronic conditions within populations.
We believe that the JoC special issue underscores the importance of international collaboration for a better understanding of both the common and unique themes associated with the global impact of MCCs. We trust that this special issue will help to simulate further research, discussion, and guidance to that end.
[1] U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Multiple chronic conditions: A strategic framework. Optimum health and quality of life for individuals with multiple chronic conditions. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services; 2010. Available from: http:www.hhs.gov/ash/initiatives/mcc/mcc_framework.pdf
[2] Special Issue: A commentary on the U.S. HHS Initiative, Multiple Chronic Conditions: A strategic initiative. Journal of Comorbidity2013;3(2):18-50. Available from: http:www.jcomorbidity.com/index.php/test/issue/current/showToc