Patterns of care for Multiple Sclerosis in a setting of universal care access: A cross-sectional study.
Details
Serval ID
serval:BIB_C8AB807A150A
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Patterns of care for Multiple Sclerosis in a setting of universal care access: A cross-sectional study.
Journal
Multiple sclerosis and related disorders
Working group(s)
Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry
ISSN
2211-0356 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
2211-0348
Publication state
Published
Issued date
02/2019
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
28
Pages
17-25
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article
Publication Status: ppublish
Publication Status: ppublish
Abstract
Current guidelines recommend regular neurological MS care in persons diagnosed with MS, but little is known about implementation of this recommendation or potential access barriers. This study examined disease-specific and sociodemographic differences between MS patients in Neurological Care (NeC), General Practitioner Care (GPC), or no Physician Care (NoPC) to identify group differences and characteristics that may suggest care access barriers.
Patient-reported data were analyzed from 1038 Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry participants by means of multivariable regression to identify systematic differences across the three care groups. Assessments included comprehensive data on clinical, sociodemographic, and geographic factors.
89% reported being in regular care by a neurologist (56% in private practices, 44% in hospitals), 5% were in GPC, and 6% reported No Physician Care (NoPC). Compared with the NeC group, patients not seeing a neurologist included two subgroups, one consisting of persons with a primary progressive MS (PPMS) and/or an extended MS history. The second subgroup included persons with a recent MS diagnosis within the last 2 years. Within the NeC group, the patients seen in private practices were of older age and more frequently female compared to those at clinics, but no differences were detected with regard to disability status, MS type, or treatment patterns.
Access to neurological care is high in Switzerland. Given the emerging paradigm for early treatment and new drugs for progressive MS, regular neurology visits should be promoted among patient groups currently less in neurological care such as persons with PPMS or recently diagnosed.
Patient-reported data were analyzed from 1038 Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Registry participants by means of multivariable regression to identify systematic differences across the three care groups. Assessments included comprehensive data on clinical, sociodemographic, and geographic factors.
89% reported being in regular care by a neurologist (56% in private practices, 44% in hospitals), 5% were in GPC, and 6% reported No Physician Care (NoPC). Compared with the NeC group, patients not seeing a neurologist included two subgroups, one consisting of persons with a primary progressive MS (PPMS) and/or an extended MS history. The second subgroup included persons with a recent MS diagnosis within the last 2 years. Within the NeC group, the patients seen in private practices were of older age and more frequently female compared to those at clinics, but no differences were detected with regard to disability status, MS type, or treatment patterns.
Access to neurological care is high in Switzerland. Given the emerging paradigm for early treatment and new drugs for progressive MS, regular neurology visits should be promoted among patient groups currently less in neurological care such as persons with PPMS or recently diagnosed.
Keywords
Adult, Aged, Cross-Sectional Studies, Delivery of Health Care, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Multiple Sclerosis/epidemiology, Multiple Sclerosis/therapy, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Switzerland, Universal Health Insurance, Access to Care, Disease-modifying treatment, Health care, Multiple Sclerosis
Pubmed
Web of science
Create date
05/01/2019 17:24
Last modification date
20/08/2019 16:43