Article
Everyday lives of middle-aged persons living with multimorbidity: a mixed-methods systematic review
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Authors
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Ana Isabel González-González
- Goethe University, Institute of General Practice, Deutschland
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Robin Brünn
- Goethe University, Institute of General Practice, Deutschland
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Julia Nothacker
- University of Freiburg, Institute for Evidence in Medicine (for Cochrane Germany Foundation), Medical Center- University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg, Deutschland
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Edris Nury
- University of Freiburg, Institute for Evidence in Medicine (for Cochrane Germany Foundation), Medical Center- University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg, Deutschland
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Christine Schwarz
- Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spanien
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Truc Sophia Dinh
- Goethe University, Institute of General Practice, Deutschland
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Maria-Sophie Brueckle
- Goethe University, Institute of General Practice, Deutschland
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Mirjam Dieckelmann
- Goethe University, Institute of General Practice, Deutschland
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Beate Sigrid Müller
- Goethe University, Institute of General Practice, Deutschland
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Marjan van den Akker
- Goethe University, Institute of General Practice, Germany; Maastricht University, Department of Family Medicine, School CAPHRI, Maastricht, Netherlands
| Published: | August 30, 2022 |
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Outline
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Background/research question: Persons with multimorbidity suffer a disease burden and treatment burden that may negatively affect their family lives, leisure time, and professional activities. This mixed-methods systematic review synthesizes studies and assesses how multimorbidity affects the everyday lives of middle-aged persons, and what abilities and resources help them to overcome the burden.
Methods: We systematically searched for studies reporting on the everyday life experiences of middle-aged persons (30–60 years) with multimorbidity (≥2 chronic conditions) in seven electronic databases. We included primary research studies using quantitative/qualitative/mixed methodologies. Two independent reviewers screened title/abstracts/full texts, extracted data, and used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool to assess the risk of bias (RoB). We used a convergent integrated approach synthesizing information narratively and, if possible, quantitatively.
Results: We included 44 studies (49,519 patients). More than half did not provide enough information to assess representativeness or response bias. Two studies assessed global general functioning. Fifteen studies examined physical functioning, 18 studies psychosocial functioning, and 28 studies work functioning. Nineteen studies explored abilities or resources to cope with multimorbidity. Middle-aged persons with multimorbidity have higher disabilities in the domains of general functioning, physical and psychosocial functioning as well as lower employment rates and low work productivity when compared with non-multimorbid persons. They also cope with everyday life by using a compendium of coping abilities and resources.
Conclusion: There is a need for health professionals to understand middle-aged persons’ experiences of coping with multimorbidity and its associated care burden to provide more holistic and dynamic health care plans that are tailored to their actual needs.
Competing interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.
