Understanding the characterisation of multiple long-term conditions

We are pleased to announce the publication of our scoping review ‘Approaches to characterising multimorbidity in older people accessing hospital care: a scoping review’ in European Geriatric Medicine. This review, led by Dr Jonny Bunn, is an important output from the  ADMISSION research collaborative, which is transforming understanding of multiple long-term conditions (MLTC, also known as multimorbidity) in people admitted to hospital.

The scoping review aimed to assess the approaches that have been taken to characterise MLTC in older adults accessing hospital care.  It did this by identifying and synthesising all studies on this topic published up to September 2023. Complexity of both health and care needs is well documented in older adults, and so our review also aimed to explore how clinical complexity has been considered when characterising MLTC.

Of 75 papers, reporting on 72 unique study populations, identified by the review, less than half (31/72, 43%) provided their working definition of MLTC and only 12 studies (17%) had considered complexity. Noteworthy, from a UK perspective, was that just one study had characterised MLTC in older people accessing hospital care in the UK: important research gaps the ADMISSION research collaborative is focussed on addressing.  

Jonny discussed this scoping review with the ADMISSION Patient Advisory Group on two occasions. Their input helped contextualise the review findings, and provided insights on complexity which Jonny is now addressing via empirical analyses utilising data from Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Foundation Trust. 

Citation

Bunn, J.G., Steell, L., Hillman, S.J. et al. Approaches to characterising multimorbidity in older people accessing hospital care: a scoping review. Eur Geriatr Med (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41999-025-01166-3

Last modified: Wed, 12 Mar 2025 10:16:50 GMT