Patient involvement in treatment decision-making: a sub-analysis of the ‘MS in the 21^st Century international unmet needs survey’ comparing patient and healthcare professional perspectives

This poster was presented at the annual congress of the European Association of Neurology (EAN) in 2018, and reports on results from a 10-question electronic survey developed by MS in the 21^st Century to examine the influencing factors and extent of patient involvement in treatment decision-making, and to explore whether healthcare professionals’ (HCPs) perceptions are aligned with these findings.

Results showed a large disconnect between HCP and patient perspectives on involvement in treatment decision-making, with patients reporting a desire to have greater involvement. This disconnect is also reflected in the difference in perception of how treatment benefits and risks are explained, with patients reporting an over-emphasis on treatment risks compared with HCPs. These factors have led to an overall disconnect between people with multiple sclerosis and HCPs on satisfaction of care. Multiple areas where patient–HCP communication could be improved were identified, including the production of more patient-focused educational resources.