Utilization of health care by patients with multiple sclerosis is based on professional and patient-defined health needs

Objective This cross-sectional study investigates healthcare utilization, and determines which predisposing, enabling, and health factors are associated with healthcare utilization among 121 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods Data on patient-related predisposing, enabling, and health factors were collected by means of written questionnaires and a home visit from a well-trained physiotherapist. Results Of the 121 patients with MS ( mean age 43 years, mean score on the Expanded Disability Status Scale 3.5, disease duration 6 years), 16% were hospitalized in the previous year; 62% consulted their general practitioner, and 69% consulted their neurologist in the previous 6 months. Other medical specialists were consulted in the 6-month period by 50% of the study population. In a 4-week period preceding the home visit, 41% of the patients were treated by an allied healthcare professional. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that consulting the general practitioner, the neurologist, other medical specialists, and allied healthcare professionals, and the use of equipment/aids by MS patients is primarily related to their health, either as perceived by the patients themselves or defined by the professional. Conclusions MS patients in the Netherlands make appropriate use of healthcare facilities, because their utilization can predominantly be explained by health-related factors, and not by predisposing or enabling factors. Multiple Sclerosis 2008; 14: 1269-1279. http://msj.sagepub.com