BACKGROUND: The concurrent presence or manifestation of multiple chronic conditions, i.e. multimorbidity, poses a challenge to affected patients and their relatives, physicians, and practitioners, and to the health care system in general. Aiming to improve medical care for different chronic diseases, the Chronic Care Model also appears to be suited for multimorbidity. The established research consortium PRISCUS is trying to create some of the prerequisites for a new care model for multimorbid, elderly patients oriented along the lines of the Chronic Care Model. METHODS AND RESULTS: Four out of seven subprojects of the research consortium provide an overview of some of their findings. Topics in a sports medicine subproject were the assessment of physical activity by means of a newly developed questionnaire and the development and feasibility testing of an exercise program for elderly people with chronic conditions and mobility impairment. Partners from family medicine implemented geriatric assessment in a primary care setting and evaluated its consequences. In a pharmacological subproject, potentially inappropriate medication as well as drug-drug interactions and dosing errors were addressed. The health economic subproject investigated quality of life impairment due to multiple chronic diseases and the effects of multimorbidity on costs. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the PRISCUS research consortium allow a better description of consequences of multimorbidity and illustrate at least some new approaches towards prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of patients suffering from multimorbidity. Ongoing projects will test the efficacy of a physical activity program and a new complex intervention to reduce potentially inappropriate medication in the elderly. With this, the research consortium will create some prerequisites for a new health care model for patients with multimorbidity comparable to the Chronic Care Model.
BACKGROUND: The concurrent presence or manifestation of multiple chronic conditions, i.e. multimorbidity, poses a challenge to affected patients and their relatives, physicians, and practitioners, and to the health care system in general. Aiming to improve medical care for different chronic diseases, the Chronic Care Model also appears to be suited for multimorbidity. The established research consortium PRISCUS is trying to create some of the prerequisites for a new care model for multimorbid, elderly patients oriented along the lines of the Chronic Care Model. METHODS AND RESULTS: Four out of seven subprojects of the research consortium provide an overview of some of their findings. Topics in a sports medicine subproject were the assessment of physical activity by means of a newly developed questionnaire and the development and feasibility testing of an exercise program for elderly people with chronic conditions and mobility impairment. Partners from family medicine implemented geriatric assessment in a primary care setting and evaluated its consequences. In a pharmacological subproject, potentially inappropriate medication as well as drug-drug interactions and dosing errors were addressed. The health economic subproject investigated quality of life impairment due to multiple chronic diseases and the effects of multimorbidity on costs. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the PRISCUS research consortium allow a better description of consequences of multimorbidity and illustrate at least some new approaches towards prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of patients suffering from multimorbidity. Ongoing projects will test the efficacy of a physical activity program and a new complex intervention to reduce potentially inappropriate medication in the elderly. With this, the research consortium will create some prerequisites for a new health care model for patients with multimorbidity comparable to the Chronic Care Model.
Authors: Miriam E Nelson; W Jack Rejeski; Steven N Blair; Pamela W Duncan; James O Judge; Abby C King; Carol A Macera; Carmen Castaneda-Sceppa Journal: Circulation Date: 2007-08-01 Impact factor: 29.690
Authors: Wojtek J Chodzko-Zajko; David N Proctor; Maria A Fiatarone Singh; Christopher T Minson; Claudio R Nigg; George J Salem; James S Skinner Journal: Med Sci Sports Exerc Date: 2009-07 Impact factor: 5.411
Authors: U Thiem; G Theile; U Junius-Walker; S Holt; P Thürmann; T Hinrichs; P Platen; C Diederichs; K Berger; J-M Hodek; W Greiner; S Berkemeyer; L Pientka; H J Trampisch Journal: Z Gerontol Geriatr Date: 2010-12-16 Impact factor: 1.281
Authors: Martin Fortin; Gina Bravo; Catherine Hudon; Lise Lapointe; Marie-France Dubois; José Almirall Journal: Ann Fam Med Date: 2006 Sep-Oct Impact factor: 5.166
Authors: Thomas Fiss; Adina Dreier; Claudia Meinke; Neeltje van den Berg; Christoph Alexander Ritter; Wolfgang Hoffmann Journal: Age Ageing Date: 2010-09-07 Impact factor: 10.668
Authors: Audrey Rankin; Cathal A Cadogan; Susan M Patterson; Ngaire Kerse; Chris R Cardwell; Marie C Bradley; Cristin Ryan; Carmel Hughes Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2018-09-03