Prerequisites for a new health care model for elderly people with multimorbidity: the PRISCUS research consortium.

BACKGROUND: Multimorbidity, the concurrent manifestation or presence of multiple chronic conditions, poses huge challenges to affected patients, their relatives, physicians, and practitioners alike. The growing number of affected persons and the complexity of their needs places just as much of a burden on the health care system as does the plethora of often poorly coordinated interventions. The Chronic Care Model developed for different chronic diseases is suited for improving medical care. The PRISCUS research consortium was established to create the prerequisites for a new care model for multimorbid, elderly patients oriented along those lines.
METHODS: The research consortium utilizes data gathered in a large-scale epidemiological study on peripheral arterial disease (getABI study) and from the Dortmund and Münster stroke registries, by extracting epidemiologic and health economic data, quality-of-life parameters, and data on the extent and quality of medication. Additional projects evaluate the implementation of a multidimensional geriatric assessment in primary care, the functional consequences of multimorbidity in stroke patients along with options for prevention and therapy afforded by physical activity. Systematic reviews of the literature are used to describe quality of life and patient preferences. Experts will work on an initial draft treatment standard for patients with multimorbidity and a list of potentially inappropriate medication for the elderly in Germany.
CONCLUSION: The results of the PRISCUS research consortium will enable an epidemiologic characterization and description of consequences of multimorbidity, while illustrating new approaches towards prevention, diagnosis, and management of multimorbid patients. With this, some prerequisites for a new health care model for patients with multimorbidity comparable to the Chronic Care Model will be fulfilled.