A primary care research agenda for multiple long-term conditions: a Delphi study

Area of Science:

• Primary care research
• Multimorbidity research
• Health services research

Background:

• Multiple long-term conditions (MLTC), or multimorbidity, is a global research priority.
• Patient and funder priorities for MLTC research are established, but academic primary care priorities are not.
• Primary care settings manage the majority of patients with MLTC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and prioritize the academic primary care research agenda for MLTC.
• To establish a consensus-driven research agenda for multimorbidity in primary care.
• To guide future research funding and planning in MLTC.

Main Methods:

• A three-phase study involving primary care MLTC researchers from the UK and high-income countries.
• Utilized an open-ended survey, a face-to-face workshop, and a two-round Delphi consensus survey.
• Involved 25 initial survey respondents, 18 workshop participants, and 50 Delphi round 1 and 27 round 2 participants.

Main Results:

• An initial 84 research questions were generated, reduced to 31 through workshop discussion.
• Ten high-priority research questions reached consensus via the Delphi survey.
• Consensus questions focused on addressing patient complexity, developing new care models, and advancing methods and data.

Conclusions:

• The identified research questions provide a foundation for future grant calls and research plans in MLTC.
• Addressing the complexity of patients with MLTC is crucial for improving care systems and disease prevention.
• This prioritized agenda will inform future research directions in academic primary care for multimorbidity.