Therapeutic expectations of patients with multiple sclerosis upon initiating interferon beta-lb: Relationship to adherence to treatment

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Abstract
This study, conducted in three separate outpatient health care delivery settings, examined the therapeutic expectations of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) before they initiated interferon beta-lb therapy, the results of current educational procedures to correct unrealistic expectations, and the relationship between post-education expectations and discontinuing therapy. Ninety-nine consecutive patients were seen in a university based outpatient MS clinic, an academic group practice outpatient MS clinic, or a health maintenance organization outpatient neurology clinic Before the educational sessions, 57% of the patients expressed unrealistically optimistic expectations regarding reduction in attack rate and 34% expressed unrealistically optimistic expectations regarding improvement in functional status. Educational procedures significantly altered unrealistic expectations but the results were sub-optimal since 33% of the patients maintained overly optimistic expectations regarding reduction in attack rate. Post-education unrealistic expectations of improvement in functional status were significantly related to discontinuing therapy within 6 months. Three adverse effects of therapy also were related independently to adherence to treatment depression and flu-like symptoms were related to discontinuing therapy while soreness at injection site was related to continuing therapy.