Developing SysteMatic: Prevention, precision and equity by design for people living with multiple long-term conditions

Background: The number of individuals living with multiple (≥2) long term conditions (MLTCs) is a growing global challenge. People with MLTCs experience reduced life expectancy, complex healthcare needs, higher healthcare utilisation, increased burden of treatment, poorer quality of life and higher mortality. Evolving technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) could address some of these challenges by enabling more preventive and better integrated care, however, they may also exacerbate inequities.

Objective: We aim to deliver an equity focused, action-ready plan for transforming MLTC prevention and care, co-designed by people with lived experience of MLTCs and delivered through an Innovation Hub: SysteMatic.

Design: Our Hub is being co-designed by people with lived experience of MLTCs, practitioners, academics and industry partners in Liverpool and Glasgow, UK. This work builds on research into mental-physical health interdependence across the life-course, and on mobilisation of large-scale quantitative data and technology validation in health and care systems serving deprived populations in Glasgow and Liverpool. We work with 3 population segments: 1) Children & Families: facing psychosocial and environmental challenges with lifetime impacts; 2). Working Life: people with poorly integrated mental, physical and social care; and 3) Pre-Frailty: older people with MLTCs. We aim to understand their experiences and in parallel look at routinely collected health data on people with MLTCs to help us identify targets for intervention. We are co-identifying opportunities for systems transformation with our patient partners, healthcare professionals and through discussion with companies and public-sector organisations. We are co-defining 3/5/7-year MLTC innovation/transition targets and sustainable learning approaches.

Discussion: SysteMatic will deliver an actionable MLTC Innovation Hub strategic plan, with investment from the UK National Health Service, civic health and care partners, universities, and industry, enabling feedback of well-translated, patient and public prioritised problems into the engineering, physical, health and social sciences to underpin future equitable innovation delivery.