(Abstract) Communicating the MS diagnosis

 
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 01, 2006 10:16 am    Post subject: (Abstract) Communicating the MS diagnosis Reply with quote

From the ECTRIMS conference in Madrid, 9/28/06:

Quote:
Clinical aspects: diagnosis and differential diagnosis - Part I

Thursday, September 28, 2006, 15:30 - 17:00

Communicating the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis – A qualitative study

A. Solari, N. Acquarone, E. Pucci, V. Martinelli, M.G. Marrosu, M. Trojano, C. Borreani, M. Messmer Uccelli (Milan, Genoa, Macerata, Cagliari, Bari, I)

Background: Studies on communicating a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) are few, and all reveal communication and information deficits.

Objective: To explore personal experience of the communication of the MS diagnosis from the perspective of people with MS and health professionals.

Design. Qualitative study of data obtained in two sets of focus group (FG) meetings with people with MS, and one FG meeting with heath professionals.

Setting. One patient FG involved people from northern Italy; the other involved people from central and southern Italy. The health professional FG recruited participants from all three areas of Italy.

Participants. Twenty-three people with MS (16 women; age range 23-70) and nine health professionals (four neurologists, three psychologists, and two nurses) took part.

Analysis. Methods of framework analysis were applied to meetings transcripts to identify key topics and categories.

Results: The experience of communicating/receiving a diagnosis of MS was varied. Very poor levels of support and information provision were reported, particularly for diagnoses given less recently. It was generally agreed, however, that the process of communicating the diagnosis had improved in recent years. It was felt that there was a need to improve diagnosis delivery (in terms of personalization, setting and continuity).

Conclusions:
Effective communication of the diagnosis of MS is of paramount importance to people with MS, and also health professionals. Improving the quality of the diagnostic encounter requires more than a meaningful patient-neurologist relationship, but also structural and organizational changes.

This study was supported by the US National MS Society (Grant No. PP 1201 to AS)
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