title: General Practitioner Preferences in Managing Care of Multiple Sclerosis Patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a lifelong neurological disorder requiring care in a variety of settings. The purpose of this study is to describe preferences of general practitioners (GPs) with regards to providing care for MS patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A stratified sample of 900 GPs in the province of Quebec were sent a questionnaire, with 266 returning completed questionnaires. Respondents were surveyed about their preferences using four clinical scenarios describing hypothetical patients experiencing different stages of MS. Respondents were asked whether they would continue managing the patient themselves, formally refer the patient to a specialist, or seek specialist advice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In two scenarios representing stable courses, 40.9% and 61.6% of GPs, respectively, intended to manage the patient themselves. GPs who reported having experience with MS patients were more likely to report an intention to continue management. In one scenario, GPs operating in rural areas were less likely to consider management than those in the Montreal metropolitan area (odds ratio=0.422, 95% confidence interval 0.20-0.90).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For MS patients with a stable disease course, an important proportion of GPs appear to be willing to manage long-term care for MS patients.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Biostatistics,University of Michigan.
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bray
authors.affiliation: 2Departments of Epidemiology & Biostatistics & Occupational Health.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wolfson
authors.affiliation: 3Neurology.
authors.forename: Fraser
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: 5Neuroepidemiology Research Unit,McGill University Health Centre.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: 5Neuroepidemiology Research Unit,McGill University Health Centre.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Uniat
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D058005:General Practitioners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000628:therapy*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011792:Quebec
keywords: Multiple sclerosis; general practitioner; physicians; postal questionnaire