king Abdulaziz university

Author Of 1 Presentation

Epidemiology Poster Presentation

LB1164 - "Awareness of Covid-19 in patients with MS in Saudi Arabia" (ID 1440)

Speakers
Authors
Presentation Number
LB1164
Presentation Topic
Epidemiology

Abstract

Background

Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) was first introduced in December 2019 and has since taken the world by storm becoming a global pandemic as of March 2020. As the pandemic is still ongoing, a lot of uncertainty circles around the risk of the Covid-19 infection and outcome in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The decision of treatment discontinuation, switching or timing of therapy could serve as a source of anxiety for these patients in particular. Patients with MS could face some difficulties accessing routine health care services either due to unavailability or as a result of fear for contracting the infection if they go. This vulnerable group is at considerable risk because of insufficient health communication7.

Objectives

First of all, to determine the level of knowledge of the COVID-19 pandemic in patients with MS. Thereafter, to evaluate the extent of the impact that MS has had on their attitude regarding their clinical condition and daily living. Finally, to look at the impact of the pandemic on the healthcare and practice related to patients with MS.

Methods

A descriptive study to evaluate COVID-19 pandemic and MS with the theme of the study focused on knowledge, awareness, and attitude in patients with MS. An electronic google form was sent to the participants who include patients diagnosed with MS for at least one year. The survey was designed by the authors to cover issues related to Covid-19 pandemic in patients with MS. The survey questions were based on emerging COVID-19 reports, clinical experience, in addition to incorporating patients enquires during the pandemic. Reliability of the questionnaire was conducted by measuring internal consistency in a pilot sample (30 participants).

Results

A total of 176 patients with MS responded to the questionnaire. A vast majority of the participants were female (n= 122,69%) with a mean age of 32 (SD: 9.2) years. The majority of participants had RRMS (n=168, 95.5%). Overall patients had good knowledge and attitude towards the pandemic in more than 80% of the participants. However, this did not correlate well with impact on health care r=0.06. With 46% being anxious about taking their medication and 32% of the participants having missed their appointments because they wanted to avoid any possible source of contracting the infection. It is worth noting that 15% of the respondents mentioned they had a relapse and did not go to the hospital because of the pandemic.

Conclusions

In conclusion, patients with MS had a good understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the vast majority of patients following health precautions to mitigate their infection risk. The pandemic has a significant impact on the care of patients with MS. Since it is still unsure when this pandemic will come to an end, the adoption of telemedicine, probability of home infusion options and giving more time to address patient queries are the best ways to minimize the impact of the pandemic on this ‘at risk’ group of the society.

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