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. 2017 Jan 27;7(1):11-21.
doi: 10.15256/joc.2017.7.97. eCollection 2017.

Patients with multimorbidity and their experiences with the healthcare process: a scoping review

Maartje J van der Aa  1 , Jennifer R van den Broeke  2 , Karien Stronks  2 , Thomas Plochg  2
Affiliations

Patients with multimorbidity and their experiences with the healthcare process: a scoping review

Maartje J van der Aa et al. J Comorb. .

Abstract

Background: The number of patients with multimorbidity (two or more conditions) is increasing. Observational research has shown that having multiple health problems is associated with poorer outcomes in terms of health, quality of care, and costs. Thus, it is imperative to understand how patients with multimorbidity experience their healthcare process. Insight into patient experiences can be used to tailor healthcare provision specifically to the needs of patients with multimorbidity.

Objective: To synthesize self-reported experiences with the healthcare process of patients with multimorbidity, and identify overarching themes.

Design: A scoping literature review that evaluates both qualitative and quantitative studies published in PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO. No restrictions were applied to healthcare setting or year of publication. Studies were included if they reported experiences with the healthcare process of patients with multimorbidity. Patient experiences were extracted and subjected to thematic analysis (interpretative), which revealed overarching themes by mapping their interrelatedness.

Results: Overall, 22 empirical studies reported experiences of patients with multimorbidity. Thematic analysis identified 12 themes within these studies. The key overarching theme was the experience of a lack of holistic care. Patients also experienced insufficient guidance from healthcare providers. Patients also perceived system-related issues such as problems stemming from poor professional-to-professional communication.

Conclusions: Patients with multimorbidity experience a range of system- and professional-related issues with healthcare delivery. This overview illustrates the diversity of aspects that should be considered in designing healthcare services for patients with multimorbidity.

Keywords: Multimorbidity; delivery of healthcare; healthcare system; patient experience; professional-patient relation; scoping review.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of study selection.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Self-reported experiences of patients with multimorbidity (MM) with their healthcare process (synthesizing qualitative and quantitative evidence).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Overview of self-reported experiences of patients with multimorbidity (MM) and their interrelatedness (when mentioned by three or more sources). Source numbers correspond to literature provided in the reference list of this article. Weight of the lines framing the text boxes (categories) indicates the number of sources mentioning that experience. Weight of the connecting lines indicates the number of sources that mentioned the link.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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