Patient-based evidence for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis prognostic health communication: "the clock is ticking…how long do I have?".

Objectives

Prognostic health communication is a critical challenge for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) health-care professions, however patient-based evidence for best practice remains limited. We investigated how the experiences of ALS patients and caregivers can inform prognostic communication and whether patient-based evidence supports clinical use of predictive tools.

Methods

Data were drawn from ALS Talk, an asynchronous, online focus group study. Patients and family caregivers were recruited from across Canada. Seven groups interacted in a threaded web-forum structure. Sixty-four participants shared experiences and perspectives on prognostic communication. Data were qualitatively analyzed using conventional content analysis and the constant-comparative approach.

Results

Primary themes were prognostic communication as an ongoing, evolving conversation; prognostic heterogeneity; progression as an embodiment of prognosis; and functional prognosis. The theme, information needs/wants, contributed to the primary themes. Participants highlighted the importance of stepwise discussions of general and personalized prognosis; prognostic heterogeneity as a source of hope and a potential communication barrier; and how progression facilitates material understanding of prognosis, adaptation, and future planning. Further, participants wanted more information about functional prognosis and the impact of interventions/therapies on function and survival.

Conclusions

We discuss participants' central questions: "how long" and "how well," and provide recommendations for patient-centred ALS prognostic communication. Participants' embodied understanding of prognosis and desire for information that anticipates functional change, informs disease management, and facilitates timely planning suggests that clinical application of ALS staging systems may meet patient and caregiver need. Testing in real-world clinical settings is needed to ensure the development of patient-centred predictive tools.