Experiences of hospital care for people with multiple long-term conditions

Scoping review of qualitative research highlights challenges to providing person-centred care for multiple long-term conditions in hospital settings

We are pleased to announce the recent publication of our scoping review ‘Experiences of hospital care for people with multiple long-term conditions: a scoping review of qualitative research’ in BMC Medicine. The review has been conducted as part of the UKRI and NIHR- funded ADMISSION Research Collaborative which aims to transform understanding of multiple long-term conditions (MLTC) in hospital patients.

Conducted according to established guidelines, the review involved screening over 8000 titles and abstracts. We identified 54 papers reporting on studies conducted in 14 countries which employed a range of qualitative approaches. The perspectives of three participant groups were explored: people living with MLTC, their informal caregivers and healthcare professionals.

Despite differences between studies in participant groups, methods used and country, consistent messages were identified. Findings from the included studies consistently point to a tension between the desire to provide and receive person-centred care and the time pressures within an increasingly specialised healthcare setting. The findings of the review indicate how poor service integration, hurried care transitions and limited confidence among professionals to treat conditions outside of their specialties can impact upon the hospital care people living with MLTC experience.

Our review highlights new directions for future qualitative research. Notably, while MLTC are known to be socially patterned, occurring at younger ages in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, there is a limited focus on how inequalities may shape the experience of hospital care for MLTC. A life course approach, which could explore how people age with MLTC, and experience hospital care over time, could address this gap. The review also identified under-researched populations including people living with mental health conditions, younger people and people with no informal support.

Citation:

Bellass S, Scharf T, Errington L, Bowden Davies K, Robinson S, Runacres A, Ventre J, Witham MD, Sayer AA, Cooper R. Experiences of hospital care for people with multiple long-term conditions: a scoping review of qualitative research. BMC Med. 2024 Jan 17;22(1):25. doi: 10.1186/s12916-023-03220-y. PMID: 38229088; PMCID: PMC10792930.

Last modified: Mon, 25 Mar 2024 13:03:55 GMT