Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The burden of multimorbidity is recognised increasingly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), creating a strong emphasis on the need for effective evidence-based interventions. Core outcome sets (COS) appropriate for the study of multimorbidity in LMICs do not presently exist. These are required to standardise reporting and contribute to a consistent and cohesive evidence-base to inform policy and practice. We describe the development of two COS for intervention trials aimed at preventing and treating multimorbidity in adults in LMICs.
METHODS: To generate a comprehensive list of relevant prevention and treatment outcomes, we conducted a systematic review and qualitative interviews with people with multimorbidity and their caregivers living in LMICs. We then used a modified two-round Delphi process to identify outcomes most important to four stakeholder groups (people with multimorbidity/caregivers, multimorbidity researchers, healthcare professionals and policymakers) with representation from 33 countries. Consensus meetings were used to reach agreement on the two final COS.
REGISTRATION: https://www.comet-initiative.org/Studies/Details/1580.
RESULTS: The systematic review and qualitative interviews identified 24 outcomes for prevention and 49 for treatment of multimorbidity. An additional 12 prevention and 6 treatment outcomes were added from Delphi round 1. Delphi round 2 surveys were completed by 95 of 132 round 1 participants (72.0%) for prevention and 95 of 133 (71.4%) participants for treatment outcomes. Consensus meetings agreed four outcomes for the prevention COS: (1) adverse events, (2) development of new comorbidity, (3) health risk behaviour and (4) quality of life; and four for the treatment COS: (1) adherence to treatment, (2) adverse events, (3) out-of-pocket expenditure and (4) quality of life.
CONCLUSION: Following established guidelines, we developed two COS for trials of interventions for multimorbidity prevention and treatment, specific to adults in LMIC contexts. We recommend their inclusion in future trials to meaningfully advance the field of multimorbidity research in LMICs.
PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020197293.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e015120 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | BMJ Global Health |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 19 Aug 2024 |
UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
Keywords
- Humans
- Multimorbidity
- Developing Countries
- Delphi Technique
- Adult
- Outcome Assessment, Health Care
- Qualitative Research
- Female
- Treatment
- Other study design
- Prevention strategies
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health(social science)
- Health Policy
- General Medicine
- General Nursing
- General Health Professions
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Core outcome sets for trials of interventions to prevent and to treat multimorbidity in adults in low and middle-income countries: the COSMOS study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
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Improving Outcomes in Mental and Physical Comorbidity and Developing Research Capacity (IMPACT) in South Asia (joint with University of York)
Boehnke, J. (Investigator)
1/10/18 → 31/03/21
Project: Research
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Quality of life dimensions in people living with mental disorders: moving beyond global scores
Petkari, E. (Lead / Corresponding author), Lapin, B. & Boehnke, J. R., Mar 2025, In: Quality of Life Research. 34, p. 589-591 3 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial
2 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
Time is now to consider how we evaluate person-centred care—the role of patient-reported outcomes
Rutherford, C. (Lead / Corresponding author), Boehnke, J., Greenhalgh, J., Tyagi, V., McCance, T. & McCormack, B., 13 Jun 2025, In: Frontiers in Health Services. 5, 9 p., 1578037.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)51 Downloads (Pure) -
An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the lived experience of people with multimorbidity in low- and middle-income countries
Tran, P. B. (Lead / Corresponding author), Ali, A., Ayesha, R., Boehnke, J., Dhungu, C., Lall, D., Pinkney-Atkinson, V. J., van Olmen, J. & COSMOS collaboration, 23 Jan 2024, In: BMJ Global Health. 9, 1, 15 p., e013606.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile10 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)123 Downloads (Pure)
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Panel: Measuring what matters: How do we know that we do?
Boehnke, J. (Chair), Brown, G. (Speaker), Hertz, N. (Speaker), Gugel, J. (Speaker) & Barkham, M. (Speaker)
28 Jun 2025Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
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Quality assurance, quantitative, and qualitative evaluation methods for psychotherapeutic interventions including assessment instruments (annually)
Boehnke, J. (Speaker)
Jul 2025Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
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Severe mental illness and multimorbidity
Boehnke, J. (Speaker)
17 Jul 2024Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
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