One in three adults suffer from multiple chronic conditions and most patients in the acute setting have more than one medical condition. This is a significant and costly global problem.

Both senior and junior doctors in the acute setting have told us that they often struggle with the diagnosis and treatment of patients who present with existing conditions.

Managing the treatment of patients with comorbidities is hard – clinical guidelines only focus on single conditions – but failure to manage comorbidities leads to worse clinical outcomes and longer lengths of stay. In response to this, we have integrated the Comorbidities Manager into BMJ Best Practice.

We are the only point of care tool that supports the management of the whole patient by including guidance on the treatment of a patient’s acute condition alongside their preexisting comorbidities. Healthcare professionals are prompted to consider the patient’s comorbidities when accessing treatment information. The tool then produces an initial management plan that is tailored to the unique needs of the patient.

Treating the acute presentation alongside existing conditions in this way enables hospitals to increase quality of care and efficiencies through the effective management of the patient. This in turn means better clinical outcomes, shorter hospital stays, and fewer readmissions.