RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access
Mul imo bidi y and consul a ion ime: a
sys ema ic e iew
Ana Ca olina Reis Tadeu
1*
, Inês Rosendo Ca alho e Sil a Cae ano
1,2
, Inês Jo ge de Figuei edo
1,3,4
and
Luiz Miguel San iago
1,5,6
Abs ac
Backg ound: Mul imo bidi y (MM) is one o he majo challenges heal h sys ems cu en ly ace. Managemen o
ime leng h o a medical consul a ion wi h a pa ien wi h MM is a ma e o conce n o doc o s.
Me hods: A sys ema ic e iew was pe o med o desc ibe he impac o MM on he a e age ime o a medical
consul a ion conside ing he P e e ed Repo ing I ems o Sys ema ic Re iew and Me a-analyses (PRISMA)
guidelines. The sys ema ic online sea ches o he Embase and PubMed da abases we e unde aken, om Janua y
2000 o Augus 2018. The s udies we e independen ly sc eened by wo e iewe s o decide which ones me he
inclusion c i e ia. (Kappa = 0.84 and Kappa = 0.82). Di e ing opinions we e sol ed by a hi d pe son. This sys ema ic
e iew included people wi h MM c i e ia as pa icipan s ( wo o mo e ch onic condi ions in he same indi idual).
The ype o ou come included was explici ly de ined – he leng h o medical appoin men s wi h pa ien s wi h MM.
Any s a egies aiming o analyse he impac o MM on he a e age consul a ion ime we e conside ed. The leng h
o ime o medical appoin men o pa ien s wi hou MM was he compa a o c i e ia. Expe imen al and
obse a ional s udies we e included.
Resul s: O 85 a icles iden i ied, only 1 obse a ional s udy was included, showing a clea end o pa ien s wi h
MM o ha e longe consul a ions han pa ien s wi hou MM c i e ia (p< 0.001).
Conclusions: Mo e s udies a e equi ed o be e assess alloca ion leng h- ime o pa ien s wi h MM and o
measu e o he cha ac e is ics like doc o s’wo kload.
Keywo ds: Mul imo bidi y, Medical appoin men , Quali y o heal hca e, Consul a ion leng h
Backg ound
Mul imo bidi y (MM) is de ined by he Eu opean Gen-
e al P ac ice Resea ch Ne wo k as “any combina ion o
ch onic disease wi h a leas one o he disease (acu e o
ch onic) o biopsychosocial ac o (associa ed o no ) o
soma ic isk ac o ”[1]. This is some imes simpli ied o,
“ he simul aneous occu ence o wo o mo e ch onic
diseases in he same indi idual”[2]. MM is now one o
he main challenges aced by heal h sys ems a an in e -
na ional le el and occupies a conside able pa o he
daily ac i i y o Gene al P ac i ione s/Family Doc o s
(GPs/FMs) a ound he wo ld [3–6].
Wi h an e e -ageing wo ld popula ion, MM and i s
consequences, a e becoming a majo issue in public
heal h and p ima y ca e. Acco ding o Uni ed Na ions
da a [7,8], Eu ope has he la ges pe cen age o popula-
ion aged 60 o o e (25%) [7]. In 2015 he numbe o
people in he wo ld aged 60 yea s and olde was 901 mil-
lion [8]. I is p ojec ed ha in 2030 his igu e will ise
o 1.4 billion (a 56% inc ease since 2015) and s and a
2.1 billion in 2050 [8]. Se e al s udies ha e shown ha
he e is a signi ican associa ion be ween age [2] and he
p e alence o MM, mos na ional heal h sys ems no
© The Au ho (s). 2020 Open Access This a icle is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons A ibu ion 4.0 In e na ional License,
which pe mi s use, sha ing, adap a ion, dis ibu ion and ep oduc ion in any medium o o ma , as long as you gi e
app op ia e c edi o he o iginal au ho (s) and he sou ce, p o ide a link o he C ea i e Commons licence, and indica e i
changes we e made. The images o o he hi d pa y ma e ial in his a icle a e included in he a icle's C ea i e Commons
licence, unless indica ed o he wise in a c edi line o he ma e ial. I ma e ial is no included in he a icle's C ea i e Commons
licence and you in ended use is no pe mi ed by s a u o y egula ion o exceeds he pe mi ed use, you will need o ob ain
pe mission di ec ly om he copy igh holde . To iew a copy o his licence, isi h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/.
The C ea i e Commons Public Domain Dedica ion wai e (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/publicdomain/ze o/1.0/) applies o he
da a made a ailable in his a icle, unless o he wise s a ed in a c edi line o he da a.
* Co espondence: ca olina. .
[email protected]
1
Facul y o Medicine, Uni e si y o Coimb a, Coimb a, Po ugal
Full lis o au ho in o ma ion is a ailable a he end o he a icle
Tadeu e al. BMC Family P ac ice (2020) 21:152
h ps://doi.o g/10.1186/s12875-020-01219-5
being p epa ed o able o cope wi h his apid ageing
wi h many demands [5,6]. MM educes li e expec ancy
and quali y o li e (QoL) [5]. Howe e , QoL can inc ease
i he quali y o ca e (QoC) imp o es [9], and his can
equi e addi ional consul a ion ime.
So, i is impe a i e o hink abou he mos co ec
app oach o pa ien s wi h MM in o de o maximize he
QoC p o ided by he Heal h Se ices (HS), and so
ensu e a be e quali y o li e.
GPs/FMs medical eam ace a ious di icul ies in
ca ing o a pa ien wi h MM like lack o esou ces; con-
sul a ion ime es ic ions [10]; lack o in e disciplina y
ca e/ eams; inadequa e pa ien suppo (la gely elying
on communi y-based suppo se ices); inadequa e ools
(guidelines a e d awn up s ic ly o speci ic diseases and
no o he MM pa ien ); he a i ude o he pa ien
(o en discou aged and poo ly engaged) [4,11].
In o ma ion abou he leng h- ime o a consul a ion
wi h a pa ien wi h MM is essen ial o be e o ganize
and deli e heal hca e. To ou knowledge, no p e ious
e iew has summa ized da a ela ed o: Wha is he im-
pac o ha ing MM on he medical consul a ion?; and Is
he a e age leng h- ime consul a ion wi h a pa ien wi h
MM longe han o a pa ien wi hou MM?.
Me hods
A sys ema ic e iew was pe o med conside ing he P e-
e ed Repo ing I ems o Sys ema ic Re iew and Me a-
Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines o sys ema ic e iews
and me a-analysis, no ollowing any e iew p o ocol.
This esea ch p oposal has been submi ed o and
app o ed by he Facul y o Medicine a he Uni e si y o
Coimb a.
Eligibili y c i e ia
The PICO model has been ollowed o de ine he ques-
ion and allow he mos e ec i e li e a u e sea ch. The
popula ion (P) was de ined as people wi h MM. The
mos widely used de ini ion o MM was used, which is
he coexis ence o wo o mo e ch onic condi ions in
he same indi idual [2]. The Wo ld Heal h O ganiza ion
(WHO) de ini ion o ch onic disease was adop ed,
namely, heal h p oblems ha equi e ongoing ca e o e
a long pe iod o ime (yea s o decades) [12].
As in e en ions (I) any s a egies aiming o analyse
he impac o MM on he a e age consul a ion ime
we e conside ed. The leng h o ime o medical appoin -
men o pa ien s wi hou MM was he compa a o c i-
e ion (C). As ou come (O), i was expec ed o explici ly
de ine he leng h- ime o medical appoin men s wi h pa-
ien s wi h MM. Expe imen al and obse a ional s udies
we e included. S udies which did no speci y he ime
spen on medical appoin men s we e excluded.
In o ma ion sou ces and sea ch s a egy
The sys ema ic online sea ches we e implemen ed using
combina ions o keywo ds in he ollowing elec onic
da abases: he Embase and PubMed da abases, om
Janua y 1, 2000 un il Augus 31, 2018, an 18-yea ime
pe iod, o ind pe inen s udies. The au ho s belie e
ha he mos eliable way o assess consul a ion ime is
h ough compu e ized clinical eco ds, which we e e y
sca ce be o e 2000.
The sea ch wi hin he Embase da abase used he ol-
lowing combina ion o keywo ds: (‘mul iple ch onic con-
di ions’/exp. OR’mul iple ch onic condi ions’)AND
(‘consul a ion ime’OR ((‘consul a ion’/exp. OR consul -
a ion) AND (‘ ime’/exp. OR ime))); (‘mul iple ch onic
condi ions’/exp. OR ‘mul iple ch onic condi ions’)AND
(‘p ima y heal h ca e’/exp. OR ‘p ima y heal h ca e’)
AND (‘ ime’/exp. OR ime); ‘consul a ion’/exp. AND
‘mul iple ch onic condi ions’/exp./mj; ‘mul iple ch onic
condi ions’/exp. AND (‘ ime’/exp. OR’a e age’/exp. OR
‘consul a ion’/exp). Fo he PubMed da abase he combi-
na ions o keywo ds we e: “Ch onic Disease/epidemiolo-
gy”[Mesh] AND ((“ e e al and consul a ion”[MeSH
Te ms] OR (“ e e al”[All Fields] AND “consul a io-
n”[All Fields]) OR “ e e al and consul a ion”[All Fields]
OR “consul a ion”[All Fields]) AND (“ ime”[MeSH
Te ms] OR “ ime”[All Fields])).
The sea ch was limi ed o pape s in English, Po u-
guese, Spanish and F ench published in in e na ionally-
ecognized pee - e iewed jou nals o ensu e he eliabil-
i y o he da a. No o he limi s we e imposed du ing his
s age o he s udy. Re e ences in he iden i ied li e a u e
we e scanned o u he li e a u e when i was ound
app op ia e o suppo wo k decisions.
Da a ex ac ion and quali y assessmen
The po en ially ele an s udies con aining quan i a i e
consul a ion ime da a we e selec ed in wo s ages. Fi s ,
he i les and abs ac s quo ed in he li e a u e sea ch
we e independen ly sc eened by wo e iewe s ( he i s
and hi d co-au ho s o his wo k) o decide which ones
o accep , mee ing he inclusion c i e ia (Kappa = 0.84).
Those no mee ing he inclusion c i e ia we e excluded.
Di e ing opinions on a s udy’s inclusion we e esol ed
by a hi d pe son ( he second co-au ho o his wo k).
Secondly, he esea che s independen ly ead and ana-
lysed he in eg i y o he ma ching s udies and ied o
each an ag eemen conce ning eligibili y (Kappa = 0.82).
Those no mee ing he inclusion c i e ia we e excluded.
Di e ing opinions on a s udy’s inclusion we e esol ed
by a hi d pe son ( he second co-au ho o his wo k).
The quali y and isk o bias o he included s udies was
assessed using he Newcas le-O awa Scale (NOS), mo e
p ecisely, he Newcas le-O awa scale adap ed o c oss-
sec ional s udies [13]. The NOS is widely used and
Tadeu e al. BMC Family P ac ice (2020) 21:152 Page 2 o 8
ecommended by he Coch ane Collabo a ion [14], and
he au ho s ound i sui able o he pu pose o his
wo k. This ool assesses h ee aspec s o a s udy: he
selec ion o he sample; he compa abili y o he g oups;
and he ou come (assessmen o ou come and s a is ical
es ). I is composed o 7 i ems and classi ies he s udy
in 4 possible le els: Ve y good (9–10 poin s), Good (7–8
poin s), Sa is ac o y (5–6 poin s) and Unsa is ac o y (0–
4 poin s). Any disag eemen was esol ed h ough
consensus.
This sys ema ic e iew was conduc ed using Co i-
dence 13, he s anda d p oduc ion pla o m used o
Coch ane e iews, which was used o he da a and
eco ds managemen .
Ou comes and s a is ical analysis
The pa ien s we e spli in o wo g oups, hose wi h and
hose wi hou MM, and he ela i e equencies we e
calcula ed. The esul s we e analysed using he chi-
squa e dis ibu ion es .
Resul s
S udy selec ion
As desc ibed in Fig. 1, he elec onic da abase sea ches
s a ed wi h 85 po en ially eligible e e ences (16 in
PubMed and 59 in Embase). O hese, 5 we e duplica es
and we e hus excluded and 31 we e conside ed
i ele an based on a e iew o he i le and abs ac .
The emaining s udies we e ully ead, analysed and
assessed o eligibili y; 36 we e hen excluded due o
unsa is ac o y ou come [3,16–49], 5 due o unsui able
s udy design [50–54], 4 due o unsui able pa ien popu-
la ion [11,55–57], 2 due o inadequa e language [58,59]
and 1 o unsa is ac o y se ing [60]. In he end, 1 s udy
was included [61].
S udy cha ac e is ics and quali y
The main ele an ea u es and ou pu s o he s udy
we e ex ac ed o he pu pose o his sys ema ic e iew
and a e summa ized in Table 1.
The included s udy was conduc ed be ween 2008 and
2009 in Denma k, o e 12 mon hs. I in ol ed 404 gen-
e al p ac i ione s (GPs) pa icipan s and a o al o 8236
con ac s. I included pa ien s aged 40 yea s o mo e,
g ouped as hose wi hou any ch onic condi ion and
hose wi h one, wo, h ee o mo e ch onic condi ions.
Du ing he s udy pe iod, he GPs comple ed a one-
page egis a ion o m o each o hei pa ien con ac s.
O he a ious i ems ha we e egis e ed, he ones ele-
an o his e iew we e in o ma ion on ch onic
diseases and leng h- ime o consul a ion. Quali y assess-
men esul , pe o med as desc ibed in me hodology, is
p esen ed in Table 2. The quali y o he s udy was
conside ed sa is ac o y (sco e 6 ou o a maximum sco e
Fig. 1 PRISMA Flow Diag am [15]–Li e a u e sea ch and selec ion p ocess o s udies included
Tadeu e al. BMC Family P ac ice (2020) 21:152 Page 3 o 8
Table 1 Summa y o s udy’s cha ac e is ics
Au ho Yea o
s udy
Coun y Design Numbe o
pa icipan s
Popula ion
(inclusion c i e ia)
Se ing Me hod o da a collec ion Ou comes measu ed Au ho ’s conclusions
Mo h
e al
2008–2009 Denma k C oss-
sec ional
404 GPs,
8236 con ac s
Pe sons aged 40 yea s
o mo e
Gene al
p ac ice
Regis a ion o m comple ed
by GP abou all pa ien c
on ac s on one andomly
assigned da e du ing he
s udy pe iod.
- Leng h o consul a ion ime, ch onic
disease, eason o appoin men ,
diagnosis, numbe o addi ional
psychosocial p oblems aised by
he pa ien du ing he consul a ion,
di icul y ound wi h consul a ion
o he consul a ion, e e al o
specialized ca e, and whe he a
nu se could ha e eplaced he GP.
- GPs ound consul a ions wi h
pa ien s su e ing om ch onic
condi ions o be mo e di icul
han hose wi h pa ien s
wi hou ch onic disease
(p< 0.001).
GP Gene al P ac i ione
Tadeu e al. BMC Family P ac ice (2020) 21:152 Page 4 o 8
o 10), i s main weakness being in he compa abili y
sec ion.
Resul s o s udy
Table 3shows he ela ionship be ween he leng h o
consul a ion ime and he ype o pa ien (wi h and wi h-
ou MM). The e is a clea signi ican end o pa ien s
wi h MM o ha e longe consul a ions han pa ien s
wi hou MM (p<0.001).
Mo e han 25% o MM pa ien s had a consul a ion
leng h- ime o a leas 16 min while mo e han 75% o
he pa ien s wi hou MM had a consul a ion leng h- ime
unde 15 min. Leng h- ime consul a ion on bo h ypes o
pa ien s is mo e equen ly be ween 6 and 15 min. The e
is a signi ican di e ence, howe e , in he pe cen age o
pa ien s wi h MM equi ing mo e ime han pa ien s
wi hou MM c i e ia.
Discussion
Main indings
The p esen sys ema ic e iew sough o ind ou i he
a e age consul a ion ime spen on pa ien s wi h MM is
longe han ha spen on pa ien s who do no mee he
MM c i e ia. I could only iden i y one s udy [61],
unde aken in Denma k, in which he consul a ion ime
was logged as a unc ion o he numbe o ch onic dis-
eases. This s udy e ealed a endency o consul a ions
o ake longe o pa ien s wi h MM han o hose wi h-
ou MM. Howe e , he s udy was no di ec ly aimed a
answe ing his ques ion and i did no ake con ounding
ac o s in o accoun . In addi ion, i does no desc ibe he
calcula ion o de e mine he sample size o he s udy
and i could be inaccu a e o s udy his speci ic ou come
s ill i answe s he posed ques ion.
Compa ison wi h exis ing li e a u e
The small numbe o publica ions in he li e a u e on
his subjec shows ha mo e s udies should be designed
o in es iga e he impac o MM on he consul a ion
leng h- ime. I is i al o analyse his issue in o de o
manage esou ces so ha hey mee he ac ual need, and
o ensu e he se ices p o ided by heal h se ices, na-
ional o p i a e, a e app op ia e. I will hus be possible
o gua an ee be e quali y heal h se ices and ou comes
o hese pa ien s. In ac , MM is abou a pa ien wi h
mo e han wo ch onic diseases o one ch onic disease
wi h biopsychosocial ac o (associa ed o no ) o som-
a ic isk ac o , so illness being included and no only
abou he speci ic su e ances [1,11].
In s udies wi h calcula ed size popula ion ep esen-
a i e andom samples i is impo an ha accu a e
me hods a e used o measu e he ealleng h- imeo
a consul a ion using app op ia e ools. Con ounding
ac o s mus be elimina ed as he ime spen on
adminis a i e wo k. Only di ec obse a ion using
ideo eco ding has been p o en o ob ain accu a e
alues when measu ing he du a ion o consul a ions
[62], which could be a p ocedu e ha mi iga es many
o he e o s p e iously men ioned. I is essen ial o
iden i y be o ehand any possible con ounding ac o s
inhe en o he pa ien s ( o example, hea ing di i-
cul y, educa ion le el, age, socio-economic le el), in-
he en o he doc o (in pa icula , a change in
beha iou due o he pa icipa ion in he esea ch
s udy –Haw ho ne e ec [63]), and inhe en o he
consul a ion/ins i u ion ( o example, gli ches in com-
pu e sys ems, o ganiza ion o necessa y in o ma ion
in he heal h in o ma ics eco ds, coding e o s, ele-
phone call in e up ions). The ime los sea ching o
in o ma ion in consul a ion, he iendliness o clinical
in o ma ics and he ime spen on eco ds a e also is-
sues o be s udied and hough o [64,65]. Heal h de-
e minan s a e ac o s o be s udied in such a MM
popula ion o be e heal h and social ou comes [66].
The da a analysis mus be e alua ed using objec i e
alida ed labo a o y me hods and, i possible, i should
be a blind assessmen . S a is ical es s used o analyse
he da a mus be app op ia e and clea ly desc ibed.
Measu es o associa ion, including con idence in e als
and he P alue, mus be p esen ed.
Table 3 Leng h o consul a ion ime and ype o pa ien (wi h
and wi hou MM c i e ia)
Leng h o consul a ion ime No MM
(n) %
MM
(n) %
p- alue
< 5 min 293 11.7 96 7.7 p< 0.001
6–15 min 1686 67.3 804 64.9
16–30 min 485 19.4 314 25.3
> 30 min 42 1.7 25 2.0
To al 2506 100 1239 100
Table 2 Quali y o s udy - Newcas le-O awa Scale adap ed o c oss-sec ional s udies
Au ho Selec ion Compa abili y Ou come To al
sco e
Powe
Rep esen a i eness
o he sample
Sample
size
Non-
esponden s
Asce ainmen
o exposu e
( isk ac o )
Compa abili y o subjec s in
di e en ou come g oups on
he basis o design o analysis.
Assessmen
o ou come
S a is ical
es
Mo h
e al
* - (b) * ** - (c) * * 6 Sa is ac o y
* - sco e o 1 poin ; ** - sco e o 2 poin s; (b) –Calcula ion no epo ed; (c) –Da a/ esul s no adjus ed o all ele an con ounde s no p o ided
C oss-sec ional S udies: Ve y Good S udies (9–10 poin s); Good S udies (7–8 poin s); Sa is ac o y S udies (5–6 poin s); Unsa is ac o y S udies (0 o 4 poin s)
Tadeu e al. BMC Family P ac ice (2020) 21:152 Page 5 o 8
Fu he conside a ions
The QoL o MM pa ien s can inc ease i he quali y o
QoC imp o es, so he imp o emen o he quali y o
se ices p o ided by he HS is an impo an ma e .
Pa ien s wi h MM equi e mo e medical esou ces and
longe consul a ion leng h. Medical eams need o be
in e disciplina y and guidelines d awn up o speci ic
diseases need o be imp o ed o MM pa ien s.
HS need o p o ide good pa ien suppo and o
acqui e knowledge o deal wi h o en discou aged and
poo ly engaged pa ien s.
The app op ia e leng h o a consul a ion o a pa ien
wi h MM needs o be aken in o accoun o be e o ganize
and deli e heal hca e, aking in o accoun ha he
equency o consul ing and he numbe o p oblems o dis-
cuss a e signi ican ly highe in he pa ien s wi h MM [67].
S eng hs and limi a ions
The main limi a ion o his sys ema ic e iew was he
di icul y in ensu ing ha all he ele an li e a u e was
included. E en hough he esea ch used wo o he main
da abases –PubMed and Embase – he e could be o he
ele an ma e ial in g ey li e a u e, no aken in o
accoun in he p esen wo k o ensu e he eliabili y o
he da a.
The sca ci y o he li e a u e ha was ound was a
limi a ion o his e iew. The one publica ion ound,
besides no di ec ly answe ing ou ques ion, also does
no ake con ounding ac o s in o accoun , and does no
desc ibe he calcula ion o de e mine he sample size o
he s udy. Howe e , i does highligh he ele ance o
he subjec ma e . The au ho s belie e ha he lack o
ecogni ion o MM and agile pa ien s in he clinical
managemen o pa ien s is also one o he easons why
scien i ic esea ch has paid less a en ion o MM.
Conclusions
This impac o MM on he du a ion o a consul a ion
has ha dly been s udied, his sys ema ic e iew shows.
A endency o consul a ions o pa ien s wi h MM o
ake longe han hose wi hou MM was ound in he
only one s udy wi h “sa is ac o y”quali y which me he
inclusion c i e ia.
So mo e esea ch is needed o acqui e mo e in o ma-
ion on his subjec , impo an o deal no only wi h
diseases bu wi h he pe son su e ing om MM o
consul a ion mus ha e he adequa e leng h du a ion o
enable doc o s and s ake-holde s wi h a p ope quan i i-
ca ion o he ime and associa ed cos s.
I a longe consul a ion ime is con i med, i will be
impo an o e hink and adap GPs’lis s o pa ien s in
o de o achie e be e medical ca e p o iding agendas
wi h speci ic imes and alloca ing enough ime o all he
equi ed asks.
Abb e ia ions
MM: Mul imo bidi y; QoL: Quali y o li e; QoC: Quali y o ca e; GP: Gene al
P ac i ione ; PRISMA: P e e ed Repo ing I ems o Sys ema ic Re iew and
Me a-analyses; HS: Heal h Se ice; WHO: Wo ld Heal h O ganiza ion
Acknowledgemen s
Helena Dona o, MD o he aluable con ibu ion in he li e a u e sea ch.
Au ho s’con ibu ions
ACRT: Da a ex ac ion, da a examina ion, ea men o da a, w i ing o
manusc ip and i s scien i ic c i icism as well as app o al. IRCSC: Da a
ex ac ion, da a examina ion, ea men o da a, w i ing o manusc ip and i s
scien i ic c i icism as well as app o al. IJF: Da a examina ion, ea men o
da a, w i ing o manusc ip and i s scien i ic c i icism as well as app o al.
LMS: Da a ga he ing and analysis, and manusc ip w i ing, scien i ic e ision
and app o al. All au ho s ha e ead and app o ed he inal manusc ip .
Funding
No unding o sponso ship was ecei ed o his s udy o publica ion o his
a icle.
A ailabili y o da a and ma e ials
Ma e ials can be assessed upon eques .
E hics app o al and consen o pa icipa e
This s udy has been app o ed by he Pedagogic Council o he Facul y o
Medicine o he Uni e si y o Coimb a and i s Dean.
Consen o publica ion
No applicable.
Compe ing in e es s
No au ho s a es inancial and non- inancial compe ing in e es s o his
wo k.
Au ho de ails
1
Facul y o Medicine, Uni e si y o Coimb a, Coimb a, Po ugal.
2
USF Coimb a
Cen o, Coimb a, Po ugal.
3
ACeS Dão La ões, Coimb a, Po ugal.
4
Facul y o
Heal h Sciences, Uni e si y o Bei a In e io , Co ilhã, Po ugal.
5
Gene al
P ac ice/Family P ac ice clinic o he Facul y o Medicine o Uni e si y o
Coimb a, Coimb a, Po ugal.
6
Cen e o Heal h and In es iga ion s udies o
he Uni e si y o Coimb a (CEISUC), Coimb a, Po ugal.
Recei ed: 10 Oc obe 2019 Accep ed: 12 July 2020
Re e ences
1. Le Res e JY, Nabbe P, Manceau B, Lygidakis C, Doe C, Lingne H, e al. The
Eu opean gene al p ac ice esea ch ne wo k p esen s a comp ehensi e
de ini ion o mul imo bidi y in amily medicine and long e m ca e,
ollowing a sys ema ic e iew o ele an li e a u e. J Am Med Di Assoc.
2013;14(5):319–25..
2. Violan C, Fogue -Bo eu Q, Flo es-Ma eo G, Salisbu y C, Blom J, F ei ag M,
e al. P e alence, de e minan s and pa e ns o mul imo bidi y in p ima y
ca e: a sys ema ic e iew o obse a ional s udies. PLoS One. 2014;9(7):
e102149.
3. Glynn LG, Valde as JM, Healy P, Bu ke E, Newell J, Gillespie P, e al. The
p e alence o mul imo bidi y in p ima y ca e and i s e ec on heal h ca e
u iliza ion and cos . Fam P ac . 2011;28(5):516–23.
4. Mo a K, Me ce SW. Challenges o managing people wi h mul imo bidi y
in oday's heal hca e sys ems. BMC Fam P ac . 2015;16:129.
5. Azais B, Bowis J, Wisma M. Facing he challenge o mul imo bidi y. J
Como b. 2016;6(1):1–3.
6. Na ickas R, Pe ic VK, Feigl AB, Seychell M. Mul imo bidi y: wha do we
know? Wha should we do? J Como b. 2016;6(1):4–11.
7. Uni ed Na ions. Depa men o Economic and Social A ai s, Popula ion
Di ision. In: Wo ld Popula ion P ospec s: The 2017 Re ision, Key Findings
and Ad ance Tables; 2017. p. 11.
8. Uni ed Na ions, Depa men o Economic and Social A ai s, Popula ion
Di ision (2015). Wo ld Popula ion Ageing. 2015. (ST/ESA/SER.A/390).
Tadeu e al. BMC Family P ac ice (2020) 21:152 Page 6 o 8
9. Fo in M, Lapoin e L, Hudon C, Vanasse A, N e u AL, Mal ais D.
Mul imo bidi y and quali y o li e in p ima y ca e: a sys ema ic e iew.
Heal h Qual Li e Ou comes. 2004;2:51.
10. Salisbu y C, Man MS, Bowe P, Gu h ie B, Chaplin K, Gaun DM, e al.
Managemen o mul imo bidi y using a pa ien -cen ed ca e model: a
p agma ic clus e - andomised ial o he 3D app oach. Lance . 2018;
392(10141):41–50.
11. P aze es F, San iago L. The Knowledge, Awa eness, and P ac ices o
Po uguese Gene al P ac i ione s Rega ding Mul imo bidi y and i s
Managemen : Quali a i e Pe spec i es om Open-Ended Ques ions. In J
En i on Res Public Heal h. 2016;13(11):1097. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/
ije ph13111097.
12. Wo ld Heal h O ganiza ion. Inno a i e ca e o ch onic condi ions: building
blocks o ac ion. Global epo : Wo ld Heal h O gan. 2002. h ps://www.
who.in /chp/knowledge/publica ions/icccglobal epo .pd ?ua=1.
13. Lo CK, Me z D, Loeb M. Newcas le-O awa scale: compa ing e iewe s’ o
au ho s’assessmen s. BMC Med Res Me hodol. 2014;14:45.
14. Higgins JPT, G een S (edi o s). Coch ane Handbook o Sys ema ic Re iews
o In e en ions Ve sion 5.1.0 [upda ed Ma ch 2011]. The Coch ane
Collabo a ion; 2011. A ailable om www.handbook.coch ane.o g.
15. Mohe D, Libe a i A, Te zla J, Al man DG, The PRISMA G oup. P e e ed
epo ing i ems o sys ema ic e iews and me a-analyses: he PRISMA
s a emen . PLoS Med. 2009;6(7): e1000097. h ps://doi.o g/10.1371/jou nal.
pmed.1000097.
16. Tine i ME, Naik AD, Dodson JA. Mo ing om disease-cen e ed o pa ien
goals-di ec ed Ca e o Pa ien s wi h Mul iple Ch onic Condi ions: pa ien
alue-based ca e. JAMA Ca diol. 2016;1(1):9–10.
17. Gun u i N, Gun u i N, Genna i A, Ba els K. Pa ien -cen e ed Goals o Ca e:
Using he Ch onic Ca e Managemen (CCM) Code Towa ds Coope a i e
Goal Se ing in he Mul imo bid Elde ly. The Jou nal o Pos -Acu e and
Long-Te m Ca e Medicine. QUALITY IMPROVEMENT. 2018:19(3):PB20.
18. Johnson TL, Kaldo J, Fals e MO, Su he land K, Humph ies J, Jo m LR, e al.
P edic i e isk modelling unde di e en da a access scena ios: who is
iden i ied as high isk and o how long? BMJ Open. 2018;8. h ps://doi.o g/
10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018909.
19. Kango i S, Ca e T, Cha les D, Smi h RA, Glanz K, Long JA, e al. Towa d a
scalable, pa ien -cen e ed communi y heal h wo ke model: adap ing he
IMPaCT in e en ion o use in he ou pa ien se ing. Popul Heal h Manag.
2016;19(6):380–8.
20. Mann EG, Johnson A, VanDenKe kho EG. F equency and cha ac e is ics o
heal hca e isi s associa ed wi h ch onic pain: esul s om a popula ion-
based Canadian s udy. Can J Anaes h. 2016;63(4):411–41.
21. Palme K, Onde G. Comp ehensi e ge ia ic assessmen : bene i s and
limi a ions. Eu J In e n Med. 2018;54:e8–9.
22. Rosbach M, Ande sen JS. Pa ien -expe ienced bu den o ea men in
pa ien s wi h mul imo bidi y - a sys ema ic e iew o quali a i e da a. PLoS
One. 2017;12(6):e0179916.
23. Salisbu y C, Johnson L, Pu dy S, Valde as JM, Mon gome y AA.
Epidemiology and impac o mul imo bidi y in p ima y ca e: a e ospec i e
coho s udy. B J Gen P ac . 2011;61(582):e12–21.
24. Sampalli T, Desy M, Dhi M, Edwa ds L, Dickson R, Blackmo e G. Imp o ing
wai imes o ca e o indi iduals wi h mul imo bidi ies and complex
condi ions using alue s eam mapping. In J Heal h Policy Manag. 2015;
4(7):459–66.
25. Smi h SM, Soubhi H, Fo in M, Hudon C, O'Dowd T. Managing pa ien s wi h
mul imo bidi y: sys ema ic e iew o in e en ions in p ima y ca e and
communi y se ings. BMJ. 2012;345:e5205.
26. S okes T, Tumil y E, Doolan-Noble F, Gauld R. Mul imo bidi y, clinical
decision making and heal h ca e deli e y in New Zealand p ima y ca e: a
quali a i e s udy. BMC Fam P ac . 2017;18(1):51.
27. Te zla J, Junius-Walke U, Muschik D, Epping J, Ebe ha d S, Geye S.
Iden i ying ime ends in mul imo bidi y—de ining mul imo bidi y in imes
o changing diagnos ic p ac ices. J Public Heal h. 2016;25(2):215–22.
28. Wong ES, Rosland AM, Fihn SD, Nelson KM. Pa ien -cen e ed medical home
implemen a ion in he e e ans heal h adminis a ion and p ima y ca e use:
di e ences by pa ien como bidi y bu den. J Gen In e n Med. 2016;31(12):
1467–74.
29. Eu opean Gene al P ac ice Resea ch Ne wo k (EGPRN) Abs ac s om he
EGPRN mee ing in Leipzig, Ge many, 12–16 Oc obe 2016. Theme: 'Gene al
p ac ice/ amily medicine in a changing wo ld'. Eu J Gen P ac . 2017;23(1):
143–54. h ps://doi.o g/10.1080/13814788.2017.1300653.
30. Ab aham-Kaba A, S opol C. Su i o ship con inuum: implica ions o pa ien -
cen e ed p og amming. J Psychosoc Oncol. 2016;34(1–2):125–7.
31. S e anacci RG, Cusack CL. The long- e m ca e eam o he u u e. Annals o
Long-Te m Ca e. Clinical Ca e and Aging. 2016;24(4):17-20.
32. Blomg een J, Ekmann A, Nygaa d H, Demény AK, Wejse MR, P essel E.
Ge ia ic assessmen a he acu e medical uni : imp o ing he ou come.
Eu opean Ge ia ic Medicine. 2017;8(1):s153.
33. Scheine SR, Olson JM, Velne J. Collabo a i e d ug he apy managemen in
a skilled nu sing acili y o imp o e ansi ions o ca e in olde adul s.
Pha maco he apy. 2017;37(12):e221–2.
34. Osbo n R, Moulds D, Schneide EC, Do y MM, Squi es D, Sa nak DO. P ima y
ca e physicians in en coun ies epo challenges ca ing o pa ien s wi h
complex heal h needs. Heal h A . 2015;34(12):2104–12.
35. Bowe P. Be e managemen o mul imo bidi y: a c i ical look a he
‘A iadne p inciples’. BMC Med. 2014;12:222.
36. Cassil A. Inno a ions in p e en ing and managing ch onic condi ions:
wha 's wo king in he eal wo ld? Issue b ie . 2010;132:1–4.
37. Po e I, Valde as JM. De elopmen o a eedback o m o ou ine clinical
use o PROs in p ima y ca e o pa ien s wi h mul imo bidi y. Qual Li e Res.
2015;24(1):181–2.
38. Ehman KM, Deyo-S endsen M, Me en Z, K amlinge AM, Ga ison GM. How
p e e ences o con inui y and access di e be ween mul imo bidi y and
heal hy pa ien s in a eam ca e se ing. J P im Ca e Communi y Heal h.
2017;8(4):319–23.
39. Vasquez AH, Pa el N, T ipa hy C, Jaen C. Op imizing i ual ca e o imp o e
access and quali y o ca e. J Am Ge ia Soc. 2018;66(2):109.
40. Fishe K, G i i h L, G unei A, Panjwani D, Gandhi S, Sheng LL, e al.
Como bidi y and i s ela ionship wi h heal h se ice use and cos in
communi y-li ing olde adul s wi h diabe es: a popula ion-based s udy in
On a io. Canada Diabe es Res Clin P ac . 2016;122:113–23.
41. Hien H, Oued aogo M, Be he A, Kona e B, Toe N, D abo MK, e al. Pa ien
complain s: an oppo uni y o imp o e he quali y o ca e o olde people
wi h mul imo bidi y in Bu kina Faso. Pan A Med J. 2017;28:140.
42. Junius-Walke U, Voig I, W ede J, Humme s-P adie E, Lazic D, Die ks ML.
Heal h and ea men p io i ies in pa ien s wi h mul imo bidi y: epo on a
wo kshop om he Eu opean gene al p ac ice ne wo k mee ing 'Resea ch
on mul imo bidi y in gene al p ac ice'. Eu J Gen P ac . 2010;16(1):51–4.
43. Kadam UT, C o PR, No h S a o dshi e GPCG. Clinical mul imo bidi y and
physical unc ion in olde adul s: a eco d and heal h s a us linkage s udy in
gene al p ac ice. Fam P ac . 2007;24(5):412–9.
44. S auss VY, Jones PW, Kadam UT, Jo dan KP. Dis inc ajec o ies o
mul imo bidi y in p ima y ca e we e iden i ied using la en class g ow h
analysis. J Clin Epidemiol. 2014;67(10):1163–71.
45. an Dongen JJ, Lenzen SA, an Bokho en MA, Daniels R, an de Weijden T,
Beu skens A. In e p o essional collabo a ion ega ding pa ien s' ca e plans in
p ima y ca e: a ocus g oup s udy in o in luen ial ac o s. BMC Fam P ac .
2016;17:58.
46. Lam CLK, Cal e MJ, Valde as JM, Wee HL, Gibbons C. Rou ine applica ions
o pa ien epo ed ou comes (PROs) in p ima y ca e: iden i ying and
o e coming he challenges. Qual Li e Res. 2016;25(1):9.
47. Po e C, Hun e C, Kelly L, Gibbons E, Fo de J, Coul e A, Fi zpa ick R,
Pe e s M. PROs o pe sonalized ca e: pa ien pe spec i es on po en ial use
o he long- e m condi ions ques ionnai e (LTCQ) in clinical p ac ice. Qual
Li e Res. 2016;25(1):196.
48. Jowsey T, McRae IS, Valde as JM, Dugdale P, Phillips R, Bun on R, e al.
Time's up. desc ip i e epidemiology o mul i-mo bidi y and ime spen on
heal h ela ed ac i i y by olde Aus alians: a ime use su ey. PLoS One.
2013;8(4):e59379.
49. De uaz-Luye A, N'Go an AA, Tandjung R, F ey P, Zelle A, Halle DM, e al.
Mul imo bidi y in p ima y ca e: p o ocol o a na ional c oss-sec ional s udy
in Swi ze land. BMJ Open. 2015;5(10):e009165.
50. Oli e D. Da id Oli e : A mani es o o mul imo bidi y. BMJ. 2018;360:k1044.
51. Fea he A. Managing pa ien s wi h mul imo bidi y. Medicine. 2018;46(7):
397–401.
52. Kadam U. Redesigning he gene al p ac ice consul a ion o imp o e ca e o
pa ien s wi h mul imo bidi y. BMJ. 2012;345:e6202.
53. Wise J. Pa ien s wi h mul imo bidi y need longe GP consul a ions, says
RCGP. BMJ. 2016;355:i5961.
54. Loeb DF, Bayliss EA, Cand ian C, De G uy FV, Binswange IA. T ea ing
complex pa ien s in p ima y ca e: physician o e a new iew o compe ing
demands. J Gen In e n Med. 2013;28(1):S224–5.
Tadeu e al. BMC Family P ac ice (2020) 21:152 Page 7 o 8
55. Bowe P, Macdonald W, Ha kness E, Gask L, Kend ick T, Valde as JM, e al.
Mul imo bidi y, se ice o ganiza ion and clinical decision making in p ima y
ca e: a quali a i e s udy. Fam P ac . 2011;28(5):579–87.
56. I ing G, Ne es AL, Dambha-Mille H, Oishi A, Tagashi a H, Ve ho A, e al.
In e na ional a ia ions in p ima y ca e physician consul a ion ime: a
sys ema ic e iew o 67 coun ies. BMJ Open. 2017;7(10):e017902.
57. O'Malley AS, Sa wa R, Kei h R, Balke P, Ma S, McCall N. P o ide expe iences
wi h ch onic ca e managemen (CCM) se ices and ees: a quali a i e
esea ch s udy. J Gen In e n Med. 2017;32(12):1294–300.
58. Klemen A,Oemle M,WienkeA,Rich e M, Wol ad U. (Expec ed) consul a ion
leng h, men al (co-)mo bidi y and pa ien sa is ac ion in he amily p ac ice
encoun e . Z E id Fo bild Qual Gesundhwes. 2015;109(8):560–9.
59. Mühlhäuse U, Gö z K, Weinmay L-M, S einhäuse J. DEGAM-guideline
"mul imo bidi y" –a ield es . Zei sch i u Allgemeinmedizin. 2018;94(2):
64–9.
60. G unei A, Dhalla IA, an Wal a en C, Fische HD, Camacho X, Rochon PA,
e al. Unplanned eadmissions a e hospi al discha ge among pa ien s
iden i ied as being a high isk o eadmission using a alida ed p edic i e
algo i hm. Open Med. 2011;5(2):E104–11.
61. Mo h G, Ves e gaa d M, Veds ed P. Ch onic ca e managemen in Danish
gene al p ac ice--a c oss-sec ional s udy o wo kload and mul imo bidi y.
BMC Fam P ac . 2012;13:52.
62. P ingle M, S ewa -E ans C. Does awa eness o being ideo eco ded a ec
doc o s’consul a ion beha iou ? B J Gen P ac . 1990;40:455–8.
63. Holden JD. Haw ho ne e ec s and esea ch in o p o essional p ac ice. J E al
Clin P ac . 2001;7:65–70.
64. h ps://ecam ic.wo dp ess.com/2018/10/21/documen o-de-posicionamien o-
sob e-el-hipe egis o- egis i is-en-el-encuen o-clinico-p o esional-pacien e-
en-la-a encion-p ima ia- ap/. [Assessed he 11 h Sep embe 2019].
65. La anjo L, Dunn AG, Tong HL, Kocaballi AB, Chen J, Bashi R, e al.
Con e sa ional agen s in heal hca e: a sys ema ic e iew. J Am Med In o m
Assoc. 2018;25(9):1248–58.
66. Veja PB, Losi S, Ma inez LS, Bo ell-Ammon A, Ga g A, James T, e al.
Implemen ing an EHR-based sc eening and e e al sys em o add ess social
de e minan s o heal h in p ima y ca e. Med Ca e. 2019;57:S133–9.
67. Me ce SW, Zhou Y, Humph is GM, McConnachie A, Bakhshi A, Bikke A,
e al. Mul imo bidi y and socioeconomic dep i a ion in p ima y ca e
consul a ions. Ann Fam Med. 2018;16(2):127–31.
Publishe ’sNo e
Sp inge Na u e emains neu al wi h ega d o ju isdic ional claims in
published maps and ins i u ional a ilia ions.
Tadeu e al. BMC Family P ac ice (2020) 21:152 Page 8 o 8