Current approaches to medical care optimization for patients with multimorbidity

Abstract

Scientific interest to the problem of multimorbidity is increasing due to the increase of the number of such patients. The aim of this work was to analyze and summarize current approaches to optimizing care for patients with multimorbidity and the results of their implementation in clinical practice. Since the beginning of this century, a number of documents have been created by WHO, government agencies and professional medical societies to improve medical care to patients with multimorbidity. The evidential basis of the effectiveness of the majority of the proposed measures based primarily on expert consensus. In 2016 NICE has published a clinical guideline NG56 «Multimorbidity: clinical assessment and management», WHO – a monograph «Multimorbidity: Technical Series on Safer Primary Care». In 2017 NICE has published a quality standard – Quality Standard №153 «Multimorbidity». The strategy of improvement of medical care for patients with multimorbidity is directly related to the patient-centered approach formation, which includes comprehensive assessment of the patient's condition. The main component of medical care is the definition of a realistic goal of medical intervention according to patient`s preferences, and making the choice of the optimal amount of diagnostic, treatment, and preventive measures, which can lead to the desired goal. A number of studies (the 3D randomized controlled trial, the MultiCare AGENDA, the SPPiRE study, the WestGem study etc.) have being conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing proposed approaches in clinical practice. The results of the studies and meta-analysis do not provide conclusive evidence of the medical and economic effectiveness of their implementation at the presentstage. Improving the outcomes of medical care to patients with multimorbidity involves conducting further clinical trials that can provide evidence to determine the list of most effective interventions for clinical practice.