On the situation of Multiple Sclerosis Patients in Baden-Wuerttemberg

The actual situation of multiple sclerosis patients in
Baden-Wuerttemberg; their symptoms and the course of the illness.

Topics: 1. Information on the person: marital status before start of
illness and currently; change of marital status due to illness;
description of household; city type; frequency of moving since becoming
ill; desire to move; employment before start of illness and currently;
change of occupation due to illness; type of health disturbances
primarily causing change of occupation; sources of income; educational
goals; importance of areas of life; fair share of gross national
product; religiousness.

2. Symptoms and the course of the illness: time of first signs of
illness; conduct of the doctor at diagnosis; self-assessment of extent
to which informed about the illness at diagnosis; desire for detailed
discussion and advice about the illness; course of the illness in the
last two years; type of need and aids used in walking; same illness
among relatives; type and extent of disabilities from multiple
sclerosis.

3. General care and support: judgement on understanding for the
illness among family and friends; help needed and received for
every-day activities and persons helping with this; general
satisfaction with help provided.

4. Medical support and other technical care: medical care received and
treatments as well as designation of the specialists taken advantage of
for this; most important and most helpful treatment measures; general
satisfaction with medical support.

5. Attitude to housing and nursing homes as well as particular
facilities for MS-patients: judgement on the structuring of one´s own
residence appropriate for the illness; preferred accomodation in one´s
own family or in special nursing care homes; desired housing
opportunity for a short stay outside of one´s own residence; importance
of such a short stay; adequate meaningful activities; extent to which
informed about the illness and information problems (scale); judgement
on the importance of consultation possibilities and preferred topics
for a consultation conversation; preferred public measures to improve
the situation of MS-patients.

6. Human problems and difficulties: detailed recording of the
psychological problems in connection with restrictions arising from the
illness; most difficult family problems in connection with the illness;
socially desired response behavior (short scale); most important
psychological help to accept one´s own illness; advice to other
MS-patients to come to grips with their situation.

7. Miscellaneous: filling out the questionnaire oneself; degree of
relationship to the person helping with filling it out; physical effort
in filling out the questionnaire; self-assessment of willingness to
cooperate.

Women were also asked: influence of a pregnancy on the course of the
illness.