Addressing medication management for older people with multimorbidities: a multi-stakeholder approach

Abstract

Multimorbidity, the presence of two or more chronic conditions, places a significant burden on health systems globally. People managing multiple chronic conditions face burdensome and complex treatment plans. Polypharmacy, the prescription of several drugs, is typical in this cohort, adding to the treatment burden and potentially resulting in dangerous drug interactions. The goal of our work is to design a medication management application for older people with multimorbidity, and those within their care ecosystem. In this paper we present findings from interviews and focus groups with 124 participants, including older adults, informal and formal carers, and healthcare professionals. We outline six design requirements and describe how our design process is grounded in a strong, theoretical behaviour change approach that will allow us to fully evaluate the effectiveness of our design for medication management for those with multimorbidity, supported by their care network.