Cluster-Based Approach for Integrating Clinical Management of Multiple Chronic Conditions

Many adults have multiple chronic conditions and medical care is often fragmented despite the recognized need to develop integrated guidelines. We describe a cohort of 44,645 patients (mean age 72) with an average of 6 chronic conditions determined from retrospective medical records review. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering methods are used to identify thirteen homogenous groups of patients with regards to chronic conditions.Identifying groups of patients with similar profiles of chronic conditions can provide a framework in which to develop efficient, comprehensive clinical management guidelines.