Real-world persistence to first-line DMTs in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: disease-modifying treatments (DMT) for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) have expanded in recent years making the shared-decision process challenging. Moreover, no head-to-head studies are available within the first-line options. Our aim is to compare therapeutic persistence within first-line DMT: teriflunomide (TER), dimethyl fumarate (DMF), and injectable drugs (INJ) in a real-world setting. METHODS: Retrospective observational study analyzing diagnosed with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) who started DMT between January 2015 and April 2022 (TER=117, DMF=117, INJ=123). Clinical, radiological, and demographic variables were collected. The primary outcome was the median time to discontinuation of any DMT. Dropout was defined as discontinuation for 6 months for any reason. RESULTS: Of the total of 357 patients, 155 withdraw with a median time-to-discontinuation of 1.427 years (IQR 2.410). The discontinuation rate was higher in the injectable group, 49.6%; compared to teriflunomide 40.2%, and dimethyl fumarate 39.8% (p = 0.201). The most frequent reason of discontinuation differs within groups (lack of efficacy in TER, 63.8%, and adverse effects in DMF and INJ (40.4% and 40.9% respectively). No difference in persistence was observed between DMT (p = 0.30). After 2018 there has been a tendency to treat in a quick and early manner (lower EDSS; relapse rate and number of naïve patients), statistically significant for TER (p = 0.005, p = 0.010, and p = 0.045). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated no differences in persistence between the actual first-line DMT in a real-world setting, although a trend to favor oral-DMT was seen. Reasons for discontinuation differs within groups.

Preferences Toward Attributes of Disease-Modifying Therapies: The Role of Nurses in Multiple Sclerosis Care.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Nurses play an essential role in coordinating the care of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) throughout their disease trajectory in a complex treatment landscape. The aim of this study was to assess nurses' preferences toward different disease-modifying therapy attributes. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, noninterventional, cross-sectional study in collaboration with the Sociedad Española de Enfermería Neurológica. Nurses actively involved in MS care were invited to participate in the study. Prevention of disability progression, preservation of cognitive function, side effect profile and safety monitoring, and method of administration were the treatment attributes tested. Conjoint analysis was used to assess preferences in 8 simulated treatment options and rank them from most to least preferred. RESULTS: A total of 98 nurses were included in the study. The mean (SD) age was 44.7 (9.8) years, and 91.8% were female with a mean (SD) time of experience in MS care of 7.5 (5.4) years. Participants prioritized preservation of cognition (38.6%), followed by preventing disability progression (35.2%) and side effect risk and safety monitoring (13.5%). Route and frequency of administration were the least preferred attributes (7.4% and 5.3%, respectively). Estimated utilities were consistent across the sample according to sociodemographic and professional practice characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses' preferences toward treatments were mainly driven by efficacy attributes. This information may support the role of nurses in the multidisciplinary management of MS facilitating shared decision making.

Sick leave and occupational burnout among nurses caring for patients with multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Sick leave is a common problem among healthcare professionals. Nurses play a critical role in the multidisciplinary management of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, limited information is available on the phenomenon of sick leave among MS nurses. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the presence of sick leave among nurses caring for patients with MS and to identify associated factors. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, non-interventional, cross-sectional, web-based study. Nurses involved in MS care from across Spain answered a survey composed of demographic characteristics, professional background, questions about their standard practice, and a behavioral battery including the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS). A multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the association between nurses' characteristics and sick leave. RESULTS: Ninety-six nurses were included in the study. Mean age (SD) was 44.6 (9.8) years, and 91.7% were female. Participants had a median of 6 (IQR 3.0, 11.0) years of expertise in MS managing a median of 15 (5.0, 35.0) patients per week. Sixteen participants (16.7%) had been on sick leave in the last 6 months, with a median absence of 14.5 days (7.0, 30.0). Sixteen nurses (16.7%) reported severe burnout. Participants on sick leave had higher levels of emotional exhaustion (mean MBI-HSS scores of 22.3 and 16.0, p=0.01) and inadequate interactions with their colleagues (mean Practice Environment Scale - Nursing Work Index scores of 11.8 and 13.1, p=0.01) than their counterparts. Burnout was associated with higher risk of sick leave in the multivariable analysis (OR=1.06 [95% CI 1.00, 1.13], p=0.04) after adjustment for confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Occupational burnout is associated with increased risk of sick leave among nurses managing patients with MS. Identifying burnout may be critical for implementing specific intervention strategies to maintain an adequate functioning of MS care units.

Development of a scale for the evaluation of the quality of the shared decision process in multiple sclerosis patients.

In the last years, therapeutic decisions in multiple sclerosis (MS) have become challenging due to expanded options with different treatment profiles attending to efficacy, safety, and route and frequency of administration. Moreover, patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) increasingly wish to be involved in their therapeutic decision process. Therefore, a new, patient-centric shared decision model (SDM), is gaining relevance. However, validated scales oriented to assess the quality of the process itself are lacking. The AGA-25 scale is a fit-for-purpose 25-item scale based on two validated scales in MS (Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM) and Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS)). The aim of this work is to develop and validate the AGAS-25 in Spanish. Two hundred and three PwMS (aged 17 to 67; 155 [76.4%] females) undergoing stable disease modifying treatment in the last 6 months were consecutively recruited. The Principal Component Analysis suggested a four-factor structure for the 25-item version of the questionnaire: 1) satisfaction with the SDM process 2) adverse events with the DMT, 3) convenience of the chosen-DMT and 4) information reliability. The internal consistency of the measurement was adequate (Cronbach's alpha = 0.88). Our results support the use of the AGAS-25 scale to assist SDM in Spanish-speaking PwMS.