RESUMO
Background: Decision-making about treatment when planning a pregnancy (family planning) is complex for women living with multiple sclerosis (MS). Decision tools can help this process, in 2016 MS Trust launched their online digital treatment decision tool to support people with MS. Objectives: To evaluate user-experience of this tool by exploring women's opinions about its content, interface, and usefulness in the context of family planning; and to synthesize recommendations to improve the tool. Methods: Thirty participants qualitatively evaluated the tool using Think Aloud methodology. Sessions were conducted online using Microsoft Teams and were video recorded. Transcription was automated and data were thematically analyzed. Results: Women's first impression was that the tool presented a lot of information at once, which was difficult to take in, and they found it difficult to navigate. Although the tool was helpful in allowing them to compare treatment options, the filters were confusing, and the information related to pregnancy sometimes contradicted advice from their healthcare practitioners. They suggested rewording the pregnancy recommendations and filters, updating some content, and making some changes to the interface to meet users' cognitive needs. Conclusion: The MS Trust treatment decision tool is excellent in helping women with treatment choices at initial diagnosis. However, it is not currently as useful when considering family plans. Recommendations were conveyed to MS Trust where some are now applied to the new live version and the rest are to be considered for future updating projects.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The decision to have children can be complex, particularly for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). A key concern is the use of disease modifying drugs (DMDs) during pregnancy, and how continuing, stopping or switching them may affect the mother and child. In people with active MS, stopping medications puts the mother at risk of relapse and disease rebound. OBJECTIVES: Review evidence on the effect of different switching strategies in people with stable relapsing remitting MS (RRMS). METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, EMCARE, CINAHL, SCOPUS, Cochrane Library up to March 2020. Only papers in English were included and no other limits were applied. Seven articles were included: four cohorts, two case reports and one randomized controlled trial (RCT). RESULTS: Two strategies were found: de-escalating, which was associated with an increased risk of relapses, and switching between first line injectables, with no change in relapse rate observed. CONCLUSION: Evidence on the effect of switching strategy on disease course in stable RRMS patients planning for pregnancy is scarce, but when switching, current evidence suggests the risk of relapses mirrors known medication efficacy.
