Reports Outline Clinical Trial Research Study Results from Imperial College London (Multimorbidity, health service use, and health insurance by socioeconomic groups in 31 countries: A multi-cohort study): Clinical Trial Research

2026 MAY 15 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Researchers detail new data in Clinical Trial Research. According to news originating from London, United Kingdom, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “The prevalence of physical, psychological, and cognitive multimorbidity is characterised by marked socioeconomic status (SES) inequalities. However, the relationships between multimorbidity patterns-particularly those involving cognitive conditions-and healthcare utilisation, as well as the role of health insurance, remain poorly understood.”

Financial support for this research came from Major Program of National Fund of Philosophy and Social Science of China.

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Imperial College London, “This study aims to explore healthcare-seeking behaviour among individuals with multimorbidity and assess whether these associations vary by SES and health insurance coverage. This multicohort study analysed harmonised data from six longitudinal studies across 31 countries, including participants aged 50 years and older. Multimorbidity was defined as the coexistence of two or more disorders across physical, psychological, or cognitive disorders. Outpatient and inpatient healthcare utilisation were measured. Random-effects logistic regression models were used to estimate associations with healthcare utilisation, and random-effects negative binomial models were applied to analyse visit frequencies. All models were adjusted for age, gender, educational attainment, work status, marital status, and SES, as well as lifestyle factors. Country-specific estimates were pooled using multinational meta-analysis to generate overall effect sizes. Compared with individuals without any conditions, those with the most complex multimorbidity pattern (physical-psychological-cognitive multimorbidity) were more likely to use outpatient care (OR 3.21, 95% CI [2.39, 4.03]; p< 0.001) but not as high as those with physical-psychological multimorbidity (OR 7.84, 95% CI [6.59, 9.10]; p< 0.001). Additionally, the association varied across socioeconomic groups, individuals of lower SES experiencing more pronounced disparities in healthcare use. For inpatient care, adding a cognitive disorder to an existing physical or psychological condition was not associated with increased inpatient utilisation. Among individuals with health insurance coverage, the association between multimorbidity and outpatient care utilisation was generally attenuated. This was especially evident for those with physical-psychological-cognitive multimorbidity: insured individuals had an OR of 6.22 (95% CI [5.33, 7.25]; p< 0.001), compared with 3.40 (95% CI [3.03, 3.82]; p< 0.001) among uninsured individuals. A limitation of this study is that healthcare utilisation measures differed across cohorts and were harmonised retrospectively. Cognitive disorders further complicate the relationship between multimorbidity and health service use, indicating potential unmet healthcare needs, especially among individuals with lower SES.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Our study highlights the potential role of health insurance in reducing socioeconomic disparities in healthcare utilisation associated with multimorbidity.”

For more information on this research see: Multimorbidity, health service use, and health insurance by socioeconomic groups in 31 countries: A multi-cohort study. PLOS Medicine, 2026;23(5). PLOS Medicine can be contacted at: Public Library Science, 1160 Battery Street, Ste 100, San Francisco, CA 94111, USA. (Public Library of Science - www.plos.org; PLOS Medicine - www.plosmedicine.org)

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from Chang Cai, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London UK. Additional authors for this research include Yanshang Wang, Zhenyu Shi, Qian Gao, Alex Bottle, Mansour Taghavi Azar Sharabiani, Joshua Stott, Benedict Hayhoe and Ping He.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1005087. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

The publisher’s contact information for the journal PLOS Medicine is: Public Library Science, 1160 Battery Street, Ste 100, San Francisco, CA 94111, USA.

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