AHRQ UPDATES ON PRIMARY CARE RESEARCH: RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE CHRONIC CONDITIONS

doi:10.1370/afm.1629

In order to raise awareness about improving care for people with multiple chronic conditions (MCC), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has developed an animated video and an infographic. These creative, plain language materials were designed to help interested audiences learn about the importance of this topic and understand some of the key issues related to multiple chronic conditions.

The animated video depicts “A Day in the Life” of Mae, a 52-year-old woman living with multiple chronic conditions. We see her as she begins her morning with her family and then proceeds throughout the day, attending multiple appointments with different health care providers. The video, supported by voice-over narration, depicts the difficulty and effort necessary for Mae to keep up with the numerous and sometimes conflicting instructions, treatments, and prescriptions she receives from her various providers, while also balancing the demands of her busy life. Toward the end, the story shifts, showing another and much better option for Mae. In this option, she, her family, and her clinicians work together to create a care plan just for her. The plan coordinates the care for her multiple conditions and takes into account other factors in her life that affect her health. It ends with the following call to action, “Working together we can transform the health care system to serve the whole person with all their complexities. It will take everyone—clinicians, researchers, policymakers, patients and families—working together to get it done.”

An infographic uses graphic visual representations to present data and other complex information in a way that is visually compelling and can be understood quickly and easily. AHRQ’s MCC infographic (see below) contains a series of graphics to describe common chronic conditions; the large and growing prevalence of MCC; the enormous cost of MCC for individuals, Medicare, and the US health care system in general; and the impact of MCC on patients and families. The infographic provides an innovative way to convey key information about the impact and importance of MCC.

To preview AHRQ’s MCC video and the MCC infographic, please visit: http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/prevention-chronic-care/decision/mcc/.