Coping with multimorbidity in old age – a qualitative study

19 narrative in-depth interviews with multimorbid patients were conducted. The data was analysed using grounded theory. Of the 19 interviewed patients 13 were female and 6 male. Mean age was 75？years. Participating patients showed a relatively homogeneous socio-economic status. Patients were recruited from the German city of Hamburg and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.Despite suffering from multimorbidity, interviewees held positive attitudes towards life: At the social level, patients tried to preserve their autonomy to the most possible extent. At the emotional level, interviewees oscillated between anxiety and strength - having, however, a positive approach to life. At the practical level, patients aimed at keeping their diseases under control. The patients tended to be critical in regards to medication.These findings might have implications for the treatment of multimorbid patients in primary care and further research: The generally presumed passivity of older individuals towards medical treatment, which can be found in literature, is not evident among our sample of older patients. In future, treatment of these patients might take their potential for pro-active cooperation more strongly into account than it is currently the case.Today, multimorbidity is a common problem among the elderly and its occurrence rises with age [1-3]. Research has shown that in Europe, for instance, more than 60% of people aged 65+ can be classified as multimorbid [4,5]. Figures for the US show a similar pattern [6,7]. Whereas numerous studies focus on chronic conditions – both from the physicians’ as well as the patients’ point of view – few studies address multimorbidity. This is rather surprising, since multimorbidity is a particular challenge – not only for General Practitioners (GPs), but also for patients. In 2005, Boyd and colleagues, for instance, reviewed clinical practice guidelines for the 15 most common chronic diseases in the US. They conclude that strict adherence to