OBJECTIVES : Nurses play a critical role in the management of disease-modifying therapies (DMT) for multiple sclerosis with complicated spectrums of risks and benefits. The aim of this study was to assess nurses’ preferences for a range of DMT attributes.

METHODS : A multicenter, non-interventional, web-based study was conducted in collaboration with the Spanish Society of Neurology Nursing. DMT attributes included preventing disability progression, preserving cognition, route and frequency of administration, and side effect risk and safety monitoring. Conjoint analysis was used to determine their preferences in eight hypothetical treatment scenarios, combining different levels of each attribute and ordering them from most to least preferred. Behavioral characteristics that could be associated with nurses´ preferences were evaluated: healthcare-related regret, coping strategies, positive social behaviors, and occupational burnout.

RESULTS : A total of 98 nurses involved in the management of MS were included in the study (mean (SD) age: 44.7 (9.8) years, 91.8% female, mean experience time: 7.5 (5.4) years). Participants placed the greatest relative importance on preserving cognition (38.6%), following 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). Two groups of participants were defined according to the importance assigned to each attribute: those prioritizing disability progression and cognition (cluster 1, n=78) or route and frequency of administration (cluster 2, n=20). Cluster 1 showed a higher intensity of care-related regret compared with cluster 2 (mean RIS-10 score: 2.2 (0.9) and 1.6 (0.7), respectively; p=0.010). Cluster 2 managed a higher rate of patients/week than cluster 1 (mean of 58.5% (32.5) and 42.6% (29.9), respectively; p=0.041). No other differences in demographic and behavioral characteristics were found between groups.

CONCLUSIONS : Understanding which treatment characteristics are meaningful to nurses may facilitate their contribution to multidisciplinary management of people with MS.