3 July 2013

Scottish scientists scoop research paper of the year award

A team of Scottish scientists are celebrating after winning an award for the best research paper of the year 2012.

The academics from the universities of Dundee and Glasgow won the award from the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) for a research paper published in The Lancet in May 2012.

The research paper, entitled 'Epidemiology of multimorbidity and implications for health care, research and medical education: a cross-sectional study' mapped out how many people have two or more medical conditions in Scotland, based on a large, nationally representative sample of 1.75 million patients in general practice. Almost a quarter of patients had two or more conditions, and thus had multimorbidity.

Although the prevalence of multimorbidity increased substantially with age there were more people with multimorbidity in the whole population under the age of 65 than over 65.

Importantly, people living in the most deprived areas developed multimorbidity 10-15 years earlier than people living in the most affluent, with socioeconomic deprivation particularly associated with the presence of combined physical and mental health disorders. For most chronic conditions, patients with only that condition, and no other, were a minority.

The findings challenge the single-disease approach that typifies most healthcare systems, and highlight the high burden of multimorbidity, especially in deprived areas.

The study led by Professor Bruce Guthrie from the University of Dundee, is part of an ongoing national programme of research established by the Scottish School of Primary Care and led by Professor Stewart Mercer at the University of Glasgow.

The study authors were Bruce Guthrie, Karen Barnett and Michael Norbury from Dundee and Stewart Mercer, Sally Wyke and Graham Watt from Glasgow.

The award was accepted on behalf of the whole team by Professor Mercer, Chair in Primary Care Research in the Institute of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow, at a ceremony in Nottingham on 3 July.

Professor Mercer said, 'The whole team at Glasgow and Dundee is delighted to have won this award. We are grateful to the Chief Scientist Office for funding the programme of research 'Living Well with Multimorbidity' which this study was part of.'

Dr Richard Horton, the Editor of the Lancet, said, "Rarely do we receive a research paper whose implications span clinical practice, public health, medical education, and research. The superb work by Karen Barnett et al is one such paper.

'Their important findings signal not only the particularly challenging social and pathological conditions in Scotland. They also point to a future medical practice worldwide that demands a recommitment to integrated, high-quality, comprehensive, and continuous care. That is, the very best of general practice."

The chair of NICE, Professor David Haslam, said, "This is a worthy winner of the Royal College's prize for research paper of the year. During my years in practice I saw countless patients struggling under the weight of having several conditions at the same time.

'This paper shows that almost a quarter of patients in Scotland have more than one illness and that most patients over 65 are affected. The burden of 'multimorbidity' falls unequally - with people from more deprived areas being more likely to have more than one condition. It's hardly surprising that people's mental health is likely to suffer as the number of illnesses affecting them rises.

'Although this paper focuses on the situation in Scotland, the implications are extremely relevant to the rest of the UK. I believe this is an issue the NHS and all organisations working to improve health, such as NICE, have to grapple with as a matter of real urgency."

The award by the RCGP gives recognition to an individual or group of researchers who have undertaken and published an exceptional piece of research relating to general practice or primary care. The paper won top prize in the primary care category and top prize overall.

For more information contact Stuart Forsyth in the University of Glasgow Media Relations Office on 0141 330 4831 or email stuart.forsyth@glasgow.ac.uk

The full research paper, 'Epidemiology of multimorbidity and implications for health care, research, and medical education: a cross-sectional study', Guthrie et al, The Lancet, (DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60482-6), can be found here: http://press.thelancet.com/morbidity.pdf

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