How Do People with Multiple Sclerosis Experience Prognostic Uncertainty and Prognosis Communication? A Qualitative Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS) is highly variable and predicting prognosis is notoriously challenging. Patients' prognosis beliefs, responses to prognostic uncertainty and experiences of prognosis-related communication with healthcare professionals (HCPs) have received little study. These issues have implications for patients' psychological adjustment and are important in the context of the recent development of personalised prognosis forecasting tools. This study explored patient perspectives on the experience of prognostic uncertainty, the formation of expectations about personal prognosis and the nature of received and desired prognosis communication.

Methods

15 MS patients participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews which were analysed

SUBMITTER: Dennison L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4951148 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature