NURSING ROLES The role of specialist and general nurses working with people with multiple sclerosis Alison While, Angus Forbes, Roz Ullman and Lucia Mathes Aim. To describe the perceived role of nurses and other carers of people with multiple sclerosis from the perspective of different stakeholders (people with multiple sclerosis, non-specialist nurses, specialist nurses and other health care professionals). Background. Multiple sclerosis is one of the commonest causes of disability in young adults. People with multiple sclerosis require supportive care during the disease trajectory. The role of different health and social care providers has not been reported previously. Design. Survey. Method. Questionnaire data collected in 2002 during the first phase of scale development (health professionals n = 459; people with multiple sclerosis n = 65; total response rate 59Æ4%). The data were reanalysed to compare responses across sample groups. Results. There was consensus that neurologists and specialist nurses were the most appropriate professionals in the provision of specialist care with specialist nurses also being identified as key providers of emotional support. However, there were also significant differences in nominations reflecting the different perspectives of the stakeholder groups and a self-report bias. Each stakeholder group frequently emphasised their own perceived contribution to care. The different perspective of people with multiple sclerosis was also noteworthy with their greater emphasis on social care and lay support. Conclusions. The findings indicate a dissonance in the views of different stakeholders within the care system. The division of labour associated with nursing care requires further exploration. The contrasting paradigms of health care professionals and people with multiple sclerosis regarding models of disability were highlighted. Relevance to clinical practice. Multiple sclerosis, like other chronic illnesses, requires substantial nursing care. There is a growing number of specialist nurses in the workforce, however, little is known how their role interfaces with other nurses. Key words: multiple sclerosis, nurses, nursing, older people, role, specialist nurse Accepted for publication: 24 April 2008 Introduction Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects up to 2Æ5 million people worldwide with different prevalence rates by latitude (Pugliatti et al. 2002). Despite advances in medical treatment, most people with MS experience significant disability that affects many aspects of their lives (Forbes et al. 2006a). MS is a complex and highly individualised disorder which presents different care needs at different phases of the disease trajectory (Polman 2001). Clinical nurse specialist title was first formalised in Canada in 1976 with appointments emerging in the UK during the Authors: Alison While, MSc, PhD, RGN, RHV, CertEd, Professor of Community Nursing, King’s College London, Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, London, UK; Angus Forbes, MSc, PhD, RGN, RHV, DNCert, Senior Lecturer, King’s College London, Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, James Clerk Maxwell Building, London, UK; Roz Ullman, BSc, PhD, RGN, RM, Senior Research Fellow, National Collaborating Centre for Women’s and Children’s Health, London, UK; Lucia Mathes, DipPsych, PhD, Psychotherapist, The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, Tavistock Centre, London, UK Correspondence: Alison While, Professor of Community Nursing, King’s College London, Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, James Clerk Maxwell Building, 57 Waterloo Road, London SE1 8WA, UK. E-mail: alison.while@kcl.ac.uk Ó 2008 The Authors. Journal compilation Ó 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 18, 2635–2648 2635 doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2008.02459.x