“I would stress less if I knew that the nurse is taking care of it”: Multiple Sclerosis inpatients’ and health care professionals’ views of their nursing-experience and nursing consultation in rehabilitation—a qualitative study

Table 1 Patients’ characteristics

(n = 15)
Age in years mean	55
Gender female n (%)	9 (60)
Diagnosed since in years mean	19
FIM mean	78
EDSS mean	6.5

Abbreviations: EDSS Expanded Disability Status Score, FIM Functional independence measure
Expanded disability status score is a method of quantifying disability in MS. The scale (based on an neurological examination) measures the impairment of eight functional systems as cerebral-, visual- or pyramidal functions. EDSS ranges from zero (= normal neurological exam, no disability) to ten (= death due to MS) in 0.5 unit increments. EDSS 1.0 to 4.5 refer to MS patient who are able to walk without any aids. EDSS steps 5.0 to 9.5 are defined by MS patients unable to walk [36]
Functional independence measure is an 18-item scale assessing six areas of functions (self-care, transfer, communication, …). Each item is scored on a 7-point Likert scale. The higher the score, is for an item, the more independent is a MS patient at preforming the item ( 1 = total assistance, 7 = total independence). The items fall into two domains, which are referred to the motor- and cognitive FIM. A total FIM score ranges between 18 to 126 [37, 38]

ISSN: 1472-6955