How Would You Describe a 'Complex' Patient?

Primary care physicians spend a good many practice hours caring for patients with multiple medical conditions. Family physicians, in particular, are experts at coordinating the care of so-called complex patients.

But the term "complex" can be elusive and not easily defined.

That's why a group of Colorado-based researchers sought to more fully understand how primary care physicians conceptualize patient complexity, with an end goal of developing a corresponding typology.

Their work is highlighted in a study(annfammed.org) titled "Primary Care Physician Insights Into a Typology of the Complex Patient in Primary Care" that appears in the September/October issue of Annals of Family Medicine.

Corresponding author Danielle Loeb, M.D., an assistant professor in the division of general internal medicine at the University of Colorado (UC) School of Medicine, in Aurora, told AAFP News the release of research findings was perfectly timed, given the country's current and future health care needs.

"With the aging of the American population, chronic illness is increasingly common, leading to increasingly complex patient populations in primary care," said Loeb. "The medical system can be particularly difficult to navigate for patients with multiple chronic illnesses or psychosocial barriers to medical care, and providers often do not have adequate support in caring for their complex patients.