Patient Satisfaction in a Multidisciplinary Multiple Sclerosis Care Unit: A Swiss Single-centre Study

Abstract

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated neurodegenerative disease. Patients are commonly diagnosed when they are between 20 to 50 years and require life-long treatment. Appropriate treatment is complex and involves a wide range of professional disciplines and expertise. This multifariousness highlights the need for multidisciplinary MS care units that offer a comprehensive and well-managed treatment approach. Such care units would enable (1) time-efficient organization and coordination, (2) better inter-, intradisciplinary and patient communication, (3) neurologists, nurses and therapists specialized in MS and (4) formalized diagnostic workup procedures and protocols for the initiation and follow-up of disease-modifying therapies. Methods: The current single-centre pilot study evaluated such a multidisciplinary MS care unit by measuring patient satisfaction and quality of life prior to and after the reorganization of a Swiss clinical centre. Results: A significant improvement in patient satisfaction was seen after the reorganization of the Swiss clinical centre into an MS centre, and quality of life was maintained throughout. Conclusion: This study exemplifies the importance of MS-specialized care and encourages further longitudinal, large-scale multicentre studies.