Appalachian Residents’ Experiences With and Management of Multiple Morbidity
- 24 January 2011
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Qualitative Health Research
- Vol. 21 (5), 601-611
- https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732310395779
Abstract
Approximately three fourths of middle-aged and older adults have at least two simultaneously occurring chronic conditions (“multiple morbidity,” or MM), a trend expected to increase dramatically throughout the world. Rural residents, who tend to have fewer personal and health resources, are more likely to experience MM. To improve our understanding of the ways in which vulnerable, rural residents in the United States experience and manage MM, we interviewed 20 rural Appalachian residents with MM. We identified the following themes: (a) MM has multifaceted challenges and is viewed as more than the sum of its parts; (b) numerous challenges exist to optimal MM self-management, particularly in a rural, underresourced context; however, (c) participants described strategic methods of managing MM, including prioritizing certain conditions and management strategies and drawing heavily on assistance from informal and formal sources.Keywords
This publication has 53 references indexed in Scilit:
- “It’s a toss up between my hearing, my heart, and my hip”: Prioritizing and Accommodating Multiple Morbidities by Vulnerable Older AdultsJournal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 2009
- Processes of care desired by elderly patients with multimorbiditiesFamily Practice, 2008
- Patients with Complex Chronic Diseases: Perspectives on Supporting Self-ManagementJournal of General Internal Medicine, 2007
- Use of Chronic Care Model Elements Is Associated With Higher-Quality Care for DiabetesAnnals of Family Medicine, 2007
- Case management for elderly people in the communityBMJ, 2006
- Eight Americas: Investigating Mortality Disparities across Races, Counties, and Race-Counties in the United StatesPLoS Medicine, 2006
- Implementing a Multidisease Chronic Care Model in Primary Care Using People and TechnologyDisease Management, 2006
- How Many Interviews Are Enough?Field Methods, 2006
- Social Ecological Strategies for Promoting Healthy LifestylesAmerican Journal of Health Promotion, 1996
- An Ecological Perspective on Health Promotion ProgramsHealth Education Quarterly, 1988