Communication between persons with multiple sclerosis and their health care providers: A scoping review

• Published in: Patient education and counseling 2022-12, Vol.105 (12), p.3341-3368
• Main Authors: Thompson, Charee M., Pulido, Manuel D., Babu, Sara, Zenzola, Nicole, Chiu, Chungyi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Communication; Multiple sclerosis; Patient-provider; Scoping review
• ISSN: 0738-3991; 1873-5134
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2022.07.013

This study undertakes a scoping review of research about communication between persons with MS and their health care providers. PubMed, PsycInfo, Communication Source, Socindex, Sociological Abstracts, Cinahl, and Proquest Dissertations and Theses were used to identify studies since each database’s inception. Research team members engaged in study selection, coding for communication issues, and data extraction for descriptive information. Of the 419 empirical articles identified, 175 were included. Codes represented all elements of ecological and pathway models, emphasizing emerging technologies for facilitating communication, uncertainty and anxiety for persons with MS, and communication issues surrounding diagnosis, information seeking, and decision making. This review synthesizes and organizes influences on communication, communication processes, and health outcomes of communication for persons with MS and their providers. Findings extend the ecological model with illness context and the pathway model with communication breakdowns and provider outcomes. Health care providers should consider the complexity of communication when interacting with persons with MS, including the larger context in which it occurs, communication processes and their purposes, and short-term and long-term consequences of interactions. Ecological and pathway models can be frameworks for developing educational materials, as they succinctly capture key communication issues and outcomes. •Communication issues surrounding diagnosis, information seeking, and decision making are salient in the MS context.•Uncertainty and anxiety for persons with multiple sclerosis is a prominent theme in the literature.•Technology is increasingly prominent in the delivery of care, including patient portals.•Online resources (e.g., research, support groups) are central for information gathering.•More research is needed to understand the cultural context of health care for persons with multiple sclerosis.