Informing MS patients on treatment options: a consensus on the process of consent taking

C Tortorella; C Solaro; P Annovazzi; L Boffa; M C Buscarinu; F Buttari; M Calabrese; P Cavalla; E Cocco; C Cordioli; G De Luca; M Di Filippo; R Fantozzi; D Ferraro; A Gajofatto; A Gallo; R Lanzillo; A Laroni; S Lo Fermo; S Malucchi; G T Maniscalco; M Moccia; V Nociti; D Paolicelli; I Pesci; L Prosperini; P Ragonese; V Tomassini; V L A Torri Clerici; M Rodegher; M Gherardi; C Gasperini; RIReMS Group

doi:10.1007/s10072-020-04339-z

Informing MS patients on treatment options: a consensus on the process of consent taking

Neurol Sci. 2020 Aug;41(8):2249-2253. doi: 10.1007/s10072-020-04339-z. Epub 2020 Apr 2.

Authors

C Tortorella¹, C Solaro², P Annovazzi³, L Boffa⁴, M C Buscarinu⁵, F Buttari⁶, M Calabrese⁷, P Cavalla⁸, E Cocco⁹, C Cordioli¹⁰, G De Luca¹¹, M Di Filippo¹², R Fantozzi⁶, D Ferraro¹³, A Gajofatto¹⁴, A Gallo¹⁵, R Lanzillo¹⁶, A Laroni^{17

18}, S Lo Fermo¹⁹, S Malucchi²⁰, G T Maniscalco²¹, M Moccia^{16

22}, V Nociti²³, D Paolicelli²⁴, I Pesci²⁵, L Prosperini²⁶, P Ragonese²⁷, V Tomassini^{28

29}, V L A Torri Clerici³⁰, M Rodegher³¹, M Gherardi³², C Gasperini²⁶; RIReMS Group

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurosciences, San Camillo Forlanini Hospital, Rome, Italy. carla.tortorella@gmail.com.
² Department of Rehabilitation, Mons L Novarese Hospital, Moncrivello, Italy.
³ Multiple Sclerosis Center, ASST Valle Olona, PO di Gallarate, (VA), Italy.
⁴ Department of Neurosciences, MS Center, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy.
⁵ Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs Sapienza University Rome, Rome, Italy.
⁶ I.R.C.C.S. Istituto Neurologico Mediterraneo NEUROMED, Pozzilli, Italy.
⁷ Neurology B, Department of Neurosciences Biomedicine and Movements, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
⁸ MS Center (P.C.), City of Health & Science University Hospital, Turin, Italy.
⁹ Department Medical Science and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
¹⁰ Multiple Sclerosis Center, ospedale di Montichiari, Spedali Civili di Brescia, Montichiari, Italy.
¹¹ Neurology Clinic, Multiple Sclerosis Center SS. Annunziata Hospital, Chieti, Italy.
¹² Clinica Neurologica, Dipartimento di Medicina, Università di Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
¹³ Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neurosciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
¹⁴ Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
¹⁵ Department of Medical, Surgical, Neurological, Metabolic and Aging Science, University of Campania, Naples, Italy.
¹⁶ Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Care and Research Centre, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Science and Odontostomatology, Federico II University, Naples, Italy.
¹⁷ Department of Neuroscience, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health and Center of Excellence for Biomedical Research, University of Genova, Genoa, Italy.
¹⁸ IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy.
¹⁹ Clinica Neurologica A.O.U. Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele Catania, Catania, Italy.
²⁰ Neurologia 2-CRESM, AOU San Luigi Gonzaga, Orbassano, Italy.
²¹ Department of Neurology and Stroke Unit, "A. Cardarelli Hospital", Naples, Italy.
²² Queen Square MS Centre, Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, UK.
²³ Istituto di Neurologia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario 'A Gemelli' IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
²⁴ Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neurosciences, and Sense Organs, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
²⁵ Ospedale di Vaio, Centro SM, Fidenza, Parma, Italy.
²⁶ Department of Neurosciences, San Camillo Forlanini Hospital, Rome, Italy.
²⁷ Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostic, Dipartimento di Biomedicina, Neuroscienze e Diagnostica Avanzata, Palermo, Italy.
²⁸ Department of Neurosciences, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine, Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), University of Chieti-Pescara "G. d'Annunzio, Chieti, Italy.
²⁹ Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University School of Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK.
³⁰ Neuro-immunology and Neuromuscolar Diseases Unit, IRCCS Foundation Carlo Besta Neurological Institute, Milan, Italy.
³¹ Department of Neurology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.
³² SC Medicina Legale AUSL Valle D'Aosta, Aosta, Italy.

PMID: 32240416
DOI: 10.1007/s10072-020-04339-z

Abstract

In the last years, change in multiple sclerosis (MS) therapeutic scenario has highlighted the need for an improved doctor-patient communication in advance of treatment initiation in order to allow patient's empowerment in the decision-making process. AIMS: The aims of our project were to review the strategies used by Italian MS specialists to inform patients about treatment options and to design a multicentre shared document that homogenizes the information about disease-modifying treatment (DMTs) and the procedure of taking informed consent in clinical practice. RESULTS: The new resource, obtained by consensus among 31 neurologists from 27 MS Centres in Italy with the supervision of a medico-legal advisor, received the aegis of Italian Neurological Society (SIN) and constitutes a step toward a standardized decision process around DMTs in MS.

Keywords: Disease modifying treatment; Informed consent; Multiple sclerosis.

MeSH terms

Consensus
Humans
Informed Consent*
Italy
Multiple Sclerosis* / therapy
Physician-Patient Relations