A primary care research agenda for multiple long-term conditions: a Delphi study- Jonathan Stokes
Published: 15 March 2024
New publication, “A primary care research agenda for multiple long-term conditions: a Delphi study” Jonathan Stokes (on behalf of the authors: Peter Bower, Susan M Smith, Bruce Guthrie, Thomas Blakeman, Jose M Valderas and Chris Salisbury) The British Journal of General Practice (BJGP) recently published our study, you can access the full text by accessing the link below.
Synopsis
- To date, multimorbidity research and funding has focused mostly on outlining and breaking down the problem for the current system, with calls for applied solutions based predominantly in primary care.
- Primary medical care is responsible for most multimorbidity care, and this study draws on the expertise of academic primary care researchers to prioritise the applied research agenda for the next decade.
- These priorities offer funders and researchers a basis on which to build future grant calls and research plans.
Why this matters?
While researchers have already made strides in MLTC research, much of the research to date can be described as ‘basic science’. This has largely aimed for a better fundamental understanding of the concept, including dealing with definitional issues, outlining the problems associated with having MLTC, and examining which conditions commonly co-occur in the current system. Yet, this understanding hasn't fully translated into better care for patients—who still face the most significant challenges and worst outcomes.
There has been less focus on applied MLTC research, although some broad consensus that primary care (perhaps as the foundation for integrated approaches) is the most pertinent setting to develop and test new ways of working. However, interventions trialled in this setting so far have achieved mixed results and many uncertainties remain.
What we did and found
We, therefore, undertook a three-phase study to identify and prioritise the academic primary care research agenda for MLTC for the next decade: an open-ended survey question, a face-to-face workshop to elaborate questions with researchers from the UK and Ireland, and a two-round Delphi consensus survey with international multimorbidity researchers.
Ten questions reached final consensus. These questions focused broadly on addressing complexity of the patient group with development of new models of care for MLTC, and methods and data development. These high-priority research questions might offer funders and researchers a basis on which to build future grant calls and research plans. Addressing complexity in this research is needed to inform improvements in systems of care and for disease prevention.
First published: 15 March 2024
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