Navigating the “liberation procedure”: a qualitative study of motivating and hesitating factors among people with multiple sclerosis

Figures & data

Table 1 Interview guide

Could you please tell me about your experience with MS?

How did you find out about the liberation (Zamboni) procedure?

How did you decide to have/not have this procedure?

What do you think about the procedure? How does it help people with MS?

(If underwent procedure): Tell us about how you arranged the procedure. What steps did you take? What was going through your mind?

(If underwent procedure): How do you think it has affected you or will affect you?

Who have you told about your decision to have/not have the procedure? How did they react?

What advice have you received from your health care providers about the procedure? How did you respond to that advice?

If you were to give advice to someone with MS about this procedure, what would you say?

What is your impression of how health providers and researchers feel about the procedure? What do you think health care providers and researchers are doing, or should be doing?

How was the procedure portrayed in the media? How did that make you feel?

Do you have any other thoughts about this procedure?

Abbreviation: MS, multiple sclerosis.

Table 2 Participant characteristics

Characteristics (self-reported)	Procedure (mean ± SD)	No procedure (mean ± SD)
Sex	Male: 3	Male: 2
	Female: 4	Female: 6
Age, years	41±9.5	53±8.7
Education	High school: 2	High school: 1
	Some postsecondary: 4	Some postsecondary: 3
	University degree: 1	University degree: 4
MS type	RRMS: 4	RRMS: 2
	PPMS: 1	PPMS: 1
	SPMS: 1	SPMS: 1
	Unknown: 1	Unknown: 4
Years with MS	12±9.25	14±11.1
Mobility	Independent: 1	Independent: 6
	Uses a cane: 1	Uses a cane: 1
	Uses walker or wheelchair: 4	Uses walker or wheelchair: 1
	Uses a power wheelchair: 1	Uses a power wheelchair: 0
Procedure location	USA: 3	NA
	Costa Rica: 3 Poland: 3 (Two participants received the procedure twice)

Abbreviations: SD, standard deviation; MS, multiple sclerosis; RRMS, relapsing–remitting MS; PPMS, primary progressive MS; SPMS, secondary progressive MS; NA, not applicable.

Figure 1 Influencing factors external to multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms and disease severity could be divided into two categories: hesitating factors (five subthemes) and motivating factors (seven subthemes).