Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week – shining a light on unmet needs
Vast strides have been made in multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment and care in recent years. Despite these advancements, unmet needs remain for people living with this lifelong condition that can severely impact many aspects of their lives. MS Brain Health – time matters 2024, published this week in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, presents expert consensus recommendations to address these ongoing needs and transform MS care globally.
MS is an incurable chronic disease affecting 2.8 million people worldwide and is the leading cause of non-traumatic neurological disability in young adults. Oxford PharmaGenesis has had the privilege of working with the not-for-profit organization, Oxford Health Policy Forum, on two long-term initiatives aimed at supporting people with MS to live their best possible lives – MS Brain Health and triMS.online. As HealthScience professionals, we can play our part in advancing care. These may include helping convene experts to understand the precise needs of people affected by a condition, collaborating with diverse experts to formulate evidence-based policy recommendations to ensure scientific advancements are translated into improvements in care, and raising awareness of the changes needed among key stakeholders.
This MS Awareness Week, we shine a light on the 2024 MS Brain Health report recommendations and echo the authors in urging all stakeholders to ‘move beyond if only and seize opportunities for meaningful change’.
We also look at how triMS.online is working to enhance patient care globally by providing a platform for sharing knowledge and best practices among healthcare professionals (HCPs).
MS Brain Health – time matters report 2024
In recent years, significant advancements have been made in MS care, including improved diagnostic techniques, new treatment options and better understanding of disease mechanisms. However, despite these advancements, there are still ongoing unmet needs for people living with MS. Many patients face delays in diagnosis, restricted access to effective therapies and challenges in ongoing care.
Building on the previous report, the 2024 report recommends specific actions to achieve the best possible outcomes for people living with MS, and rare neuroimmune conditions, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease. The overarching theme is to act early and take a person-centred approach to care, regardless of geographic or economic barriers.
Key recommendations
To achieve the best outcomes for people affected and society, global policies must ensure:
- Equitable access: all patients, regardless of geography or economic status, should benefit from the latest therapies and diagnostic advancements
- Specialized care: invest in neuroimmunology care units or centres of excellence to provide comprehensive care.
What more can be done? Read the full recommendations here.
- Timely diagnosis and early treatment
- Optimal and person-centred care
- Enhanced support systems
- Leverage digital health tools.
The report in numbers:
- 17 authors – a diverse, international group of MS experts
- 41 working group members across four working groups, including experts from healthcare, health economics, policy and patient advocacy
- 29 policy recommendations.
Learn more about MS Brain Health here.
Critical to implementing many of the MS Brain Health recommendations is sharing of knowledge and best practices among HCPs and MS researchers globally and promoting an open dialogue between patients and their HCPs. triMS.online is a unique, educational initiative open to all MS specialists, researchers and associated HCPs, free-of-charge, which provides a platform for doing just that. The mission of triMS.online is to reach a diverse global audience of professionals to advance equality for all working in the MS field.
To be flexible to the needs of its audience and to accommodate busy professional and personal commitments, we recently evolved the format of triMS.online. It now provides bite-sized educational content on the latest research, clinical insights and patient perspectives to be viewed on demand.
Our most recent content discusses a key current topic in MS – smouldering MS. As well as discussing the latest information on detection and monitoring, speakers explore how to effectively communicate this with patients. By empowering people living with MS, as well as those supporting them, with knowledge and resources, we aim to enhance patient care.
Join us this MS Awareness Week in advocating for better MS care. Read the 2024 MS Brain Health recommendations, support triMS.online, and help us make a difference.
