The Gesundes Kinzigtal programme, Germany

Currently, an estimated 50 million people in the European Union live with multiple chronic diseases (multimorbidity) and this number is expected to further increase in the near future. As multimorbidity deeply impacts on people’s quality of life -physically, but also mentally and socially-, there is a growing demand for multidisciplinary care that is tailored to the specific health and social needs of these people. Integrated care programmes have the potential to adequately respond to the comprehensive needs of people with multimorbidity by taking a holistic approach while making efficient use of resources. Such programmes are characterized by providing patient centred, proactive and coordinated multidisciplinary care, using new technologies to support patients’ selfmanagement and improve collaboration between caregivers.