Facing the challenge of multimorbidity

Multimorbidity is a major public health challenge that is rising up the political and health agenda at an accelerated rate. Although the prevalence of multimorbidity increases with age, more than half of the population with multimorbidity are under the age of 65 years [1], with social deprivation a key determinant of multimorbidity in young and middle-aged adults [2,3]. From an individual’s perspective, multimorbidity reduces life expectancy [4?6], decreases physical functioning and quality of life [7], and increases the risk of depression and other mental health disorders [3]. From a healthcare provider’s perspective, multimorbidity is associated with increased health service use, a high risk of emergency and other hospital admissions, high rates of polypharmacy, and spiralling costs [8]. Current health systems, which are typically built around a single-disease framework, are poorly adapted to cope with patients with multimorbidity, who typically experience fragmented healthcare services, leading to potentially inefficient and ineffective care. It is increasingly clear that we need to change our perspective on multimorbidity in order to address it as a specific condition that requires tailored solutions and approaches. The urgent need to tackle multimorbidity in a more strategic, holistic, and cost-effective manner was evident at the 18th European Health Forum Gastein, a leading annual health policy event in the European Union (EU), held in the autumn of 2015. This Forum attracted policymakers, clinicians, health service managers, patients, and a broad range of other stakeholders, all of whom were invited to attend a session entitled “Facing the Challenge of Multimorbidity”. Journal of Comorbidity 2016;6(1):1?3