Assessing Needs and Perceptions of Research Participation in Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis: A Multistakeholder Survey

Background: Patient-powered research networks (PPRNs) for autoimmune disease are widely used in the adult population to recruit patients and drive patient-centered research, but few have included pediatric patients. We aimed to characterize viewpoints regarding research needs and participation in pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) via a PPRN-disseminated survey. Methods: This is an exploratory, cross-sectional study. The study period was February 1, 2022, to February 9, 2023. Three questionnaires were disseminated to (1) patients with POMS (PwPOMS), (2) caregivers of PwPOMS (C-PwPOMS), and (3) health care providers/researchers in POMS (HR-POMS). Results: A total of 88 participants were included for analysis; 44% (n = 39) were PwPOMS, 42% (n = 37) were C-PwPOMS, and 14% (n = 12) were HR-POMS. Some PwPOMS (18%) and C-PwPOMS (9%) expressed research hesitancy, but more, 69% of PwPOMS and 68% of C-PwPOMS, were interested in research participation. Nevertheless, less than half of PwPOMS (38%) and C-PwPOMS (38%) reported previous research involvement. HR-POMS reported difficulties in funding (100%) and recruiting participants (58%). PwPOMS (67%), C-PwPOMS (62%), and HR-POMS (67%) were open to future involvement in PPRNs. Conclusions: Participants with POMS in this study expressed strong interest in research involvement but also expressed participation hesitancy, which may contribute to recruiting challenges expressed by researchers. Although the exploratory design limits generalizability to the larger POMS population, this study shows PPRNs are well-suited to soliciting attitudes and opinions of key stakeholders in POMS. Future studies utilizing PPRNs for POMS should prioritize diverse, representative cohorts and focus on understanding and mitigating issues hindering research participation.