About the Authors

Alessandra Solari

Roles Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Methodology, Supervision, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

alessandra.solari25@gmail.com

Affiliation Unit of Neuroepidemiology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy

Ludovica De Panfilis

Roles Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Writing – review & editing

Affiliations Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria IRCCS Bologna, Bologna, Italy

Roberta Martina Zagarella

Roles Data curation, Formal analysis, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation National Research Council (CNR), Interdepartmental Center for Research Ethics and Integrity (CID Ethics), Rome, Italy

Luca Ghirotto

Roles Data curation, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Qualitative Research Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy

Mariangela Farinotti

Roles Data curation, Project administration, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Unit of Neuroepidemiology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy

Alberto Gajofatto

Roles Investigation, Writing – review & editing

Affiliations Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy, Unit of Neurology, Borgo Roma Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona, Verona, Italy

Maria Grazia Grasso

Roles Investigation, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Multiple Sclerosis Unit, IRCCS S. Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy

Paola Kruger

Roles Writing – review & editing

Affiliation The European Patients’ Academy (EUPATI), Rome, Italy

Alessandra Lugaresi

Roles Investigation, Writing – review & editing

Affiliations IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Neuromotorie, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy

Katia Mattarozzi

Roles Supervision, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

Sara Montepietra

Roles Investigation, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Multiple Sclerosis Center, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy

Francesco Patti

Roles Investigation, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation University Hospital Policlinico Vittorio Emanuele, Catania, Italy

Eugenio Pucci

Roles Supervision, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation UOC Neurologia, AST Fermo, Fermo, Italy

Michela Rimondini

Roles Supervision, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Section of Clinical Psychology, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Policlinico G.B. Rossi, Verona, Italy

Claudio Solaro

Roles Investigation, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Neurology Unit, Galliera Hospital, Genoa, Italy

Marta Perin

Roles Formal analysis, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Bioethics Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy

Andrea Giordano

Contributed equally to this work with: Andrea Giordano, Simone Veronese

Roles Data curation, Formal analysis, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

Affiliations Unit of Neuroepidemiology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy, Neurology, Public Health and Disability Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy

Simone Veronese

Contributed equally to this work with: Andrea Giordano, Simone Veronese

Roles Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Supervision, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Fondazione FARO ETS, Turin, Italy

on behalf of the ConCure-SM project

Membership of the ConCure-SM project is provided in the Acknowledgements.

Competing Interests

AL reports grants from Novartis, during the conduct of the study; personal fees from Biogen, Merck Serono, Mylan, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi/Genzyme, Teva and FISM. FP received personal compensation for serving on advisory board and/or speaking activities by Almirall, Bayer, Biogen, Bristol Meyers & Squibb, Merck, Novartis Roche, Sanofi and TEVA; he further received research grants by Biogen Italy, Biogen Global, Merck, University of Catania, FISM and Reload Onlus Patients Association. AS received personal compensation for serving on advisory board and speaking activities by Almirall and Merck. All the other authors have no competing interests. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.