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The objective of the policy brief is to provide funders and policymakers with the evidence and actions needed to tackle the burden of multimorbidity in low- and middle-income countries.
A recent policy brief produced by the GACD Multimorbidity Working Group highlights the evidence and practice gaps related to multimorbidity in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).
The objective of the policy brief is to provide funders and policymakers with the evidence and actions needed to tackle the burden of multimorbidity in LMICs.
Multimorbidity is the co-existence of two or more long-term physical or mental disorders in a person (for example, living with both diabetes and heart disease). While multimorbidity has been recognised as an important health system and service challenge in high-income countries (HICs) for decades, health systems in LMICs have had limited capacity to address the challenges of multimorbidity, to integrate disease management and develop responsive care for people with multiple conditions. The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the urgency of addressing poor health outcomes of those with multimorbid conditions.
The policy brief advocates for the increased recognition of the global burden of multimorbidity and provides high-level advice for health system leaders to take action. It summarises major research gaps on this topic in LMICs, including a lack of knowledge on the burden of multimorbidity, and limited prevention and control strategies.
In line with the approach advocated for in this policy brief, GACD is fostering an international effort to find integrated approaches that strengthen the quality of health care at all levels. Over the last three years GACD has supported the cross-cutting multimorbidity working group to explore the evidence and outcomes available to implementation research. In 2023 the GACD will finance a grant call that will foster implementation science research focused on integrating interventions for optimising management and care for patients with multimorbidity in LMICs and vulnerable populations in HICs.
The full policy brief is available here, and can, with appropriate acknowledgement, be used as a tool for advocacy and strategic discussions about research and management of multimorbidity. The brief may be adapted for different country settings.
Suggested citation: Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases Multimorbidity Working Group (2021) Policy Brief for Research and Action on Multimorbidity in Low and Middle Income Countries. Available via https://www.gacd.org/perch/resources/content/mm-policy-briefvfinal-gacd.pdf. Accessed [add date].