Non-communicable disease multi-morbidity in policies from India, Thailand, and South Africa: A comparative document review

Background Over the years, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), as well as the number of people with multiple chronic NCDs or multi-morbidity, are on a sharp rise globally, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). This review attempts to deepen the knowledge (policy landscape) of how mana...

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Main Authors: Linju Joseph, Rakhal Gaitonde, Charutha Retnakumar, Athira Krishnan, Thoniparambil Ravindranathanpillai Lekha, Neethu Sasidharan, André van Rensburg, Naomi Levitt, Nilawan Upakdee, Jissa Vinoda Thulaseedharan, Mathew Joseph Valamparampil, Sivadasanpillai Harikrishnan, Sheila Greenfield, Paramjit Gill, Justine Davies, Semira Manaseki-Holland, Panniyammakal Jeemon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-03-01
Series:Journal of Multimorbidity and Comorbidity
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/26335565251330371
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author Linju Joseph
Rakhal Gaitonde
Charutha Retnakumar
Athira Krishnan
Thoniparambil Ravindranathanpillai Lekha
Neethu Sasidharan
André van Rensburg
Naomi Levitt
Nilawan Upakdee
Jissa Vinoda Thulaseedharan
Mathew Joseph Valamparampil
Sivadasanpillai Harikrishnan
Sheila Greenfield
Paramjit Gill
Justine Davies
Semira Manaseki-Holland
Panniyammakal Jeemon
author_facet Linju Joseph
Rakhal Gaitonde
Charutha Retnakumar
Athira Krishnan
Thoniparambil Ravindranathanpillai Lekha
Neethu Sasidharan
André van Rensburg
Naomi Levitt
Nilawan Upakdee
Jissa Vinoda Thulaseedharan
Mathew Joseph Valamparampil
Sivadasanpillai Harikrishnan
Sheila Greenfield
Paramjit Gill
Justine Davies
Semira Manaseki-Holland
Panniyammakal Jeemon
author_sort Linju Joseph
collection DOAJ
description Background Over the years, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), as well as the number of people with multiple chronic NCDs or multi-morbidity, are on a sharp rise globally, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). This review attempts to deepen the knowledge (policy landscape) of how managing multiple NCDs and associated challenges are addressed across the health systems policies from India, South Africa and Thailand. Methods We conducted a search of two search engines (PubMed and Google) and the websites of national departments from February 2022 to December 2022. An analytical framework was produced for the qualitative document analysis, focusing on definitions of multi-morbidity, potential policy actions at patient, provider, health system, and macro-level domains, including social determinants of health. We utilised framework analysis of the national-level policies and related documents to explore the co-existent nature of multiple NCDs in India, South Africa, and Thailand. Results Of the 54 analysed documents, 11 (20.4%) were national policies/ programmes, 15 (27.8%) were operational or implementation or management guidelines, 12 (22.2%) were training manuals, 16 (29.6%) were action plans/ strategic plans/ frameworks. None of the countries had specific policies dealing with NCD multi-morbidity. Findings from the thematic analysis showed that health promotion activities at patient-level targeted multiple risk factors; however self-management support is for specific NCDs such as diabetes. Conclusions Our study highlights the need for dedicated policies that adopt a patient-centred and integrated approach with appropriate consideration of social determinants of health and health inequalities within these policies to manage NCD multi-morbidity holistically and effectively.
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spelling doaj-art-22987264526a467c80faa95c03eb85cd2025-08-20T02:28:01ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Multimorbidity and Comorbidity2633-55652025-03-011510.1177/26335565251330371Non-communicable disease multi-morbidity in policies from India, Thailand, and South Africa: A comparative document reviewLinju JosephRakhal GaitondeCharutha RetnakumarAthira KrishnanThoniparambil Ravindranathanpillai LekhaNeethu SasidharanAndré van RensburgNaomi LevittNilawan UpakdeeJissa Vinoda ThulaseedharanMathew Joseph ValamparampilSivadasanpillai HarikrishnanSheila GreenfieldParamjit GillJustine DaviesSemira Manaseki-HollandPanniyammakal JeemonBackground Over the years, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), as well as the number of people with multiple chronic NCDs or multi-morbidity, are on a sharp rise globally, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). This review attempts to deepen the knowledge (policy landscape) of how managing multiple NCDs and associated challenges are addressed across the health systems policies from India, South Africa and Thailand. Methods We conducted a search of two search engines (PubMed and Google) and the websites of national departments from February 2022 to December 2022. An analytical framework was produced for the qualitative document analysis, focusing on definitions of multi-morbidity, potential policy actions at patient, provider, health system, and macro-level domains, including social determinants of health. We utilised framework analysis of the national-level policies and related documents to explore the co-existent nature of multiple NCDs in India, South Africa, and Thailand. Results Of the 54 analysed documents, 11 (20.4%) were national policies/ programmes, 15 (27.8%) were operational or implementation or management guidelines, 12 (22.2%) were training manuals, 16 (29.6%) were action plans/ strategic plans/ frameworks. None of the countries had specific policies dealing with NCD multi-morbidity. Findings from the thematic analysis showed that health promotion activities at patient-level targeted multiple risk factors; however self-management support is for specific NCDs such as diabetes. Conclusions Our study highlights the need for dedicated policies that adopt a patient-centred and integrated approach with appropriate consideration of social determinants of health and health inequalities within these policies to manage NCD multi-morbidity holistically and effectively.https://doi.org/10.1177/26335565251330371
spellingShingle Linju Joseph
Rakhal Gaitonde
Charutha Retnakumar
Athira Krishnan
Thoniparambil Ravindranathanpillai Lekha
Neethu Sasidharan
André van Rensburg
Naomi Levitt
Nilawan Upakdee
Jissa Vinoda Thulaseedharan
Mathew Joseph Valamparampil
Sivadasanpillai Harikrishnan
Sheila Greenfield
Paramjit Gill
Justine Davies
Semira Manaseki-Holland
Panniyammakal Jeemon
Non-communicable disease multi-morbidity in policies from India, Thailand, and South Africa: A comparative document review
Journal of Multimorbidity and Comorbidity
title Non-communicable disease multi-morbidity in policies from India, Thailand, and South Africa: A comparative document review
title_full Non-communicable disease multi-morbidity in policies from India, Thailand, and South Africa: A comparative document review
title_fullStr Non-communicable disease multi-morbidity in policies from India, Thailand, and South Africa: A comparative document review
title_full_unstemmed Non-communicable disease multi-morbidity in policies from India, Thailand, and South Africa: A comparative document review
title_short Non-communicable disease multi-morbidity in policies from India, Thailand, and South Africa: A comparative document review
title_sort non communicable disease multi morbidity in policies from india thailand and south africa a comparative document review
url https://doi.org/10.1177/26335565251330371
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