Patient-Centred Care for Multimorbid Patients: A Scoping Review

Background/Objectives: The Belgian healthcare system is currently organised from a single-disease point of view, which poses a unique challenge for patients suffering from two or more long-term physical and/or mental conditions (multimorbidity) and their healthcare providers. To search for strategies that respond to the constantly changing medical landscape and the complexity of multimorbid care. Patient-centred care programmes for multimorbid patients in primary care were investigated and their intervention elements were assessed as to whether or not they have a positive effect on the Triple Aim. Methods: A scoping review was performed and reported following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Online databases (PubMed, Cochrane, Embase) were used to identify papers published between January 2000 and August 2023, supplemented by reference tracking and a manual search in the grey literature. Studies were included if they assessed the efficacy of patient-centred intervention in primary care for multimorbid adult patients. Results: From the 7020 papers identified, 39 were selected and included in the review. Interventions took place at three levels (patient, professional and organisational). The efficacy of the studies included was heterogeneous. The different intervention elements had a more frequent positive effect on healthcare experience than on health status and behaviour. The only intervention that appeared to score partially positive results across all Triple Aim domains was a care coordinator. Conclusions: This scoping review provides an overview of existing patient-centred interventions for multimorbidity. Findings could be used to assist in the development of a framework for multimorbid patient care. Future studies should recognise the importance of patient experience and formulate and evaluate sufficient outcomes within this domain.