Evaluation of functional status and quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis diagnosis

Object: This study was planned to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the "Hamburg Quality of Life Questionnaire for Multiple Sclerosis (HAQUAMS 3.0)" and to measure the functional status and quality of life of patient followed-up with the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted between November 2019 and July 2020 in the neurology outpatient clinic of a private hospital with patients who have been followed-up for the last year. In this methodological and descriptive study, the sample group consists of patients aged 18 and over; and 200 patients with a definite diagnosis of MS who agreed to participate in the study. In the internal consistency analysis, the Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was found to be 0.913 for the whole scale. According to this value, the internal consistency of the scale was found to be highly reliable and the scale is suitable for use in Turkish society. According to the results of the study, the most common symptoms experienced by MS patients were found as difficulty in walking, fatigue, and sensory problems were found. Avarage score of EDSS score was 2,970 ± 1,703 and the HAQUAMS-TR was 2,16 ± 0.742. The score of the fatigue/thought dimension was highest (2.42 ± 1,000). It was determined that the EDSS score has a significant positive correlation with some dimensions of the HAQUAMS-TR. This study also showed that the factors affecting the quality of life in MS patients are disability and fatigue. Conclusion: It is recommended to improve the quality of life in MS patients and to provide counseling and training programs according to the needs in symptom management. Key words: Multiple sclerosis, quality of life, validity and reliability, nursing, functional status