Living with multimorbidity: medical and lay healthcare approaches

Multi-morbidity is rapidly becoming the norm rather than the exception in health care. Research on this issue is increasing and this review discusses a selection of clinical and social science literature. The focus is on understanding the complexity of the lived experience of multi-morbidity and how this is presented in clinical encounters, drawing on examples of arthritis within a multi-morbidity context. Taking into account the biophysical, psychological, social and cultural factors that shape multi-morbidity this paper calls for a reconceptualization of the concept, allowing a more dynamic and holistic approach.