Long-term prognosis communication preferences in early-stage relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Psychology
• Patient Communication

Background:

• Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a leading cause of neurological disability in young adults.
• Effective communication about long-term prognosis (LTP) is crucial for patients to manage MS and adjust life goals.
• Limited data exists on patient preferences for LTP communication and related factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the preferences of early-stage relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients regarding long-term prognosis (LTP) communication.
• To identify factors associated with LTP communication preferences in RRMS patients.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter, non-interventional study involving 189 adult RRMS patients with disease duration ≤ 3 years and EDSS 0-5.5.
• Utilized the Prognosis in MS questionnaire to assess LTP information desires.
• Collected patient-reported data on symptoms, quality of life, and psychological factors; cognition assessed via SDMT; multivariate logistic regression used for analysis.

Main Results:

• 68.5% of patients had not discussed LTP with neurologists, yet 69.2% desired this information, particularly at diagnosis (73.5%).
• Male patients and those with lower Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) scores showed significantly higher preferences for LTP information.
• Male gender and lower SDMT scores were identified as predictors of LTP information preferences.

Conclusions:

• Early-stage RRMS patients express a clear desire to discuss their long-term prognosis shortly after diagnosis.
• Identifying influencing factors is key to developing personalized communication strategies for improved patient care and adjustment.