Patient perceptions of multiple sclerosis-related care: comparisons by practice specialty of principal care physician.

Do people with multiple sclerosis who receive the majority of their care from neurologists perceive access to and quality of their care differently than people receiving their care from medical internists, family/general practitioners, and other types of physicians? The objective of this study is to identify any patient-identified differences in MS-related care by the practice specialty of the principal care physician, as well as differences by practice specialty in satisfaction with access to physician services and differences in patient perceptions of quality. Data were collected by surveying 1,518 people with MS throughout the United States and grouped by practice specialty of principal care physician (neurologist, internal medicine, family/general practice, and other physicians). Significant differences were observed by practice specialty of the principal care physician in physician understanding of various aspects of MS, satisfaction with access to MS-focused care, and quality of MS-focused care, with neurologists associated with better patient perceptions. Patients consider MS-related care superior when it is delivered by neurologists compared to MS patients receiving care from medical internists, family/general practitioners, and other physicians.