Published in News
The GACD Multimorbidity Working Group has published a review of outcomes measures for multimorbidity in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in BMJ Open.
Multimorbidity describes cases where patients have two or more chronic physical or mental health conditions at the same time. It is typically challenging to measure multimorbidity outcomes because patients will present with different clusters of diseases. The review responds to the growing burden of multimorbidity in LMICs. This review also aims to address concerns among funders about the viability of funding multimorbidity research projects; without common outcomes measures it is difficult to evaluate the success of, and thus to justify, research investment.
In identifying potential outcomes measures, the researchers drew from the broad representation of views from GACD researchers who have considerable collective experience of implementation science research in LMIC settings. Through this consultation, the team identified eight categories of outcome measures that might be feasible to use in LMICs: mortality, quality of life, function, health economics, healthcare access and utilisation, treatment burden, measures of healthy living and self-efficacy, and social functioning.
The team emphasised that appropriate outcome measures will vary by study, and that researchers must take into account study design, cultural context and participant preference when selecting such measures. Rather than recommending the use of one outcome measure over another, the Working Group aimed to improve understanding and awareness of when and how to select certain outcome measures, and encouraged the use of multiple measures. It is hoped that this review will support the identification of cost-effective implementation strategies that reduce the burden and improve the management of multimorbidity in LMICs.