Multimorbidity in younger deprived patients: An exploratory study of research and service implications in general practice

Multimorbidity has been defined as the co-existence of two or more chronic conditions.  It has a profound impact on both the individuals affected and on their use of healthcare services.  The limited research to date has focused on its epidemiology rather than the development of interventions to improve outcomes in multimorbidity patients, particularly for patients aged less than 65 years.  Potential barriers to such research relate to methods of disease recording and coding and examination of the process of care.  This study aimed to assess the feasibility of identifying younger individuals with multimorbidity at general practice level and to explore the effect of multimorbidity on the type and volume of health care delivered.