Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Conceptualising comorbidity and multimorbidity in dementia: A scoping review and syndemic framework

Dunn, Rosie; Clayton, Eleanor; Wolverson, Emma; Hilton, Andrea

Authors

Profile Image

Miss Rosie Dunn R.J.Dunn@hull.ac.uk
Researcher | Restorative Supervisor | Dissertation Supervisor

Eleanor Clayton

Profile Image

Dr Emma Wolverson E.Wolverson@hull.ac.uk
Reader in Ageing and Dementia. Research Lead for Dementia UK.

Profile Image

Dr Andrea Hilton A.Hilton@hull.ac.uk
Reader and Programme director, Non-Medical Prescribing



Abstract

Background
Older people and people with dementia experience a high prevalence of multiple health conditions. The terms ‘comorbidity’ and ‘multimorbidity’ are often used interchangeably to describe this, however there are key conceptual differences between these terms and their definitions. This has led to issues in the validity and comparability of research findings, potentially inappropriate intervention development and differences in quality of health care.
Objective
To review how the terms ‘comorbidity’ and ‘multimorbidity’ are defined within peer-reviewed dementia research and propose an operational framework.
Design
A scoping review of definitions within dementia research was carried out. Searches took place across five databases: Academic Search Premier, CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE, PsycARTICLES and PsycINFO. PRISMA-ScR guidelines were followed.
Results
Content analysis revealed five key themes, showing significant overlap and inconsistencies from both within, and between, the comorbidity and multimorbidity definitions; 1. Number of conditions; 2. Type of health conditions; 3. The co-occurrence of conditions; 4. The inclusion of an index disease (or not); 5. Use of medical language. The analysis also revealed gaps in how the underlying concepts of the definitions relate to people with dementia living with multiple health conditions.
Conclusion
This scoping review found that current definitions of comorbidity and multimorbidity are heterogeneous, reductionist and disease-focussed. Recommendations are made on the design of research studies including transparency and consistency of any terms and definitions used. A syndemic framework could be a useful tool for researchers, clinicians and policy makers to consider a more holistic picture of a person with dementia’s health and wellbeing.

Citation

Dunn, R., Clayton, E., Wolverson, E., & Hilton, A. (2022). Conceptualising comorbidity and multimorbidity in dementia: A scoping review and syndemic framework. Journal of Multimorbidity and Comorbidity, 12, https://doi.org/10.1177/26335565221128432

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Sep 27, 2022
Online Publication Date Sep 27, 2022
Publication Date Sep 27, 2022
Deposit Date Oct 3, 2022
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Journal of Multimorbidity and Comorbidity
Print ISSN 2633-5565
Electronic ISSN 2633-5565
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 12
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/26335565221128432
Keywords Multimorbidity; Comorbidity; Dementia; Syndemic; Scoping review
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4086975

Files

Published article (1 Mb)
PDF

Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0

Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2022.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).




You might also like



Downloadable Citations