Living with multimorbidity: A qualitative exploration of shared experiences of patients, family caregivers, and healthcare professionals in managing symptoms in the United States.

All patients and caregivers were recruited from one academic medical center, so the findings may not reflect other settings. The sample was small, especially only two caregivers, and one clinician did not complete the interview. The study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, when care, staffing, procedures, and visitation restrictions may have differed from usual practice. Patients and caregivers were excluded if they did not speak English or had cognitive impairment that prevented interview, so the experiences of those groups are not represented. Most clinicians were female and White, and most had a nursing background, which may limit transferability to other professional or demographic groups. The study used convenience and snowball sampling, a single interviewer, and team consensus to decide saturation.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Do not read these themes as proof that goal-setting, caregiver education, or follow-up calls improve symptoms or outcomes. The study described what participants said mattered in intermediate care, not the effects of an intervention.