title: Managing psychological stress in the multiple sclerosis medical visit: Patient perspectives and unmet needs.
abstract: Psychological stress can negatively impact multiple sclerosis. To further understand how stress is addressed in the multiple sclerosis medical visit, 34 people with multiple sclerosis participated in focus groups. Transcripts were analyzed by inductive thematic analysis. The majority of participants did not discuss stress with their provider, citing barriers to communication such as lack of time, poor coordination between specialties, physician reliance on pharmaceutical prescription, and patient lack of self-advocacy. Participants recommended several ways to better manage psychological well-being in the clinical setting. These findings provide a foundation for future studies aimed at minimizing the detrimental effect of stress in multiple sclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Oregon Health & Science University, USA National College of Natural Medicine, USA senders@ohsu.edu.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Senders
authors.affiliation: National College of Natural Medicine, USA.
authors.forename: Kelsi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sando
authors.affiliation: Oregon Health & Science University, USA.
authors.forename: Helané
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wahbeh
authors.affiliation: Oregon Health & Science University, USA Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, USA.
authors.forename: Amie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peterson Hiller
authors.affiliation: Oregon Health & Science University, USA.
authors.forename: Lynne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shinto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000523:psychology*; D009819:Office Visits; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: health psychology; patient satisfaction; psychological distress; qualitative methods; verbal communication