Living with Multiple Conditions: What To Do
Managing more than one long-term condition at once.
Last revised
Guidelines are written one condition at a time, and following several at once can produce contradictory advice and an unmanageable pill burden.
Key takeaways
- Multimorbidity: two or more long-term conditions
- NICE guidance: exists specifically for managing it as a whole
- Most useful single change: Ask for a single review covering everything rather than separate ones.
- Commonest mistake: Assuming every guideline target applies to you regardless of context.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to get help" below apply to you.
Do
- Ask for a single review covering everything rather than separate ones
- Say plainly if the number of appointments or medicines is unmanageable
- Agree what matters most to you; guidelines allow for that
Do not
- Assuming every guideline target applies to you regardless of context
- Stopping medicines yourself to reduce the burden
The figures behind the list
Each item above follows from these, published in the guidance named at the foot of the page.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Multimorbidity | two or more long-term conditions |
| NICE guidance | exists specifically for managing it as a whole |
| Treatment burden | a recognised outcome in its own right |
| Structured review | should cover everything together, not each condition separately |
Where to go next
- Living with Multiple Conditions: The Practical To-Do List
- Living with Multiple Conditions: Separating Myth From Guidance
- Living with Multiple Conditions — the reference entry
- Self-Management: What Published Guidance Supports
- What the Guidance Really Says About Annual Reviews
When to get help
Seek prompt assessment for a sudden decline in function, new confusion, or an unexplained fall — in people with several conditions these usually indicate an acute problem rather than gradual progression. Ask for an urgent medication review if you are becoming dizzy or drowsy.
Where this comes from
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.