Delivering Education to Patients with MS - a Survey of Canadian Neurologists

Objective: Our research questions were: (1) at the time of diagnosis, what resources, if any, are used by Canadian neurologists to educate their patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and (2) is there a relationship between years since graduation from medical school or gender and types of education provided? Background: Meeting education needs of people diagnosed with MS is increasingly challenging given the complexity of the disease, treatment options, and shared decision-making. If people with MS are not satisfied with the education received from their neurologist, they turn to independent sources of information such as the internet. Design/Methods: We developed a database of Canadian (excluding Quebec) neurologists (N=838) from online, searchable, provincial databases of the Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. A postcard survey was mailed to a random sample (33%) of neurologists. Data were analysed using SPSS. Results: Of 277 neurologists mailed the survey, 68 (24%) replied. Mean time from medical school graduation was 24 years (range: 7–43 years); 31% were female. The sample was representative of the overall Canadian neurologist population. Results indicate that 68% neurologists provide MS education while 31% refer. Most (81%) use multiple strategies: information on reputable websites (76%); printed handouts (MS society 52%, drug company 57%, made by their practice 28%); and/or education sessions (28%). Physicians who graduated from medical school less than 20 years ago were more likely to recommend websites (90%) compared to those graduating more than 20 years ago (65%); the opposite was true for use of MS society handouts (29% and 70%, respectively). Women were more likely to provide websites and use drug company handouts than men. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that the majority of neurologists deliver MS education to their patients; however, educational methods were utilized differently by generational cohorts and gender. A limitation to the study was the small sample size. Disclosure: Dr. Lekontseva has nothing to disclose. Dr. Smyth has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hodgson has nothing to disclose.