Cognitive impairment and its impact on employment: A qualitative interview-based study involving healthcare professionals and people living with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Cognitive impairment can considerably impact the work life of people who have multiple sclerosis (MS). Cognitive symptoms are associated with an increased likelihood of unemployment, changes in employment and decreased working hours. This qualitative interview-based study aims to gather real-word experiences and perspectives from both people living with MS and healthcare professionals, to explore how cognitive symptoms are experienced in the workplace, how their impact is addressed, and what can be done to support people in managing and minimizing this impact on employment.

Summary of Research: Collaboration Between Healthcare Professionals and People with Multiple Sclerosis to Develop Communication Tools to Improve the Standard of Multiple Sclerosis Care.

This is a summary of a previously published paper: Joint Healthcare Professional and Patient Development of Communication Tools to Improve the Standard of MS Care. It describes a collaboration between people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) and healthcare professionals (HCPs) to identify challenges in multiple sclerosis (MS) care and design tools to improve communication during consultations.

Disease Progression in Multiple Sclerosis: A Literature Review Exploring Patient Perspectives.

Purpose: Multiple sclerosis (MS) prognosis is often uncertain. This literature review considers patients' understanding of, and perspectives on, MS progression to better comprehend the unmet needs of people with MS (PwMS), in order to improve treatment adherence and quality of life (QoL).

Methods: Literature searches for peer-reviewed papers concerning patient perspectives on the progression of MS and comparable conditions, published between January 2000 and January 2020, were conducted.

Knowledge Is Power, but Is Ignorance Bliss? Optimising Conversations About Disease Progression in Multiple Sclerosis.

Communication about multiple sclerosis (MS) disease progression between healthcare professionals (HCPs) and people with MS (PwMS) has historically been considered difficult, and attention to improving it has been neglected. However, a growing number of studies have shown that this is a key area to get right, since negative experiences can affect patient satisfaction, treatment adherence, and clinical outcomes. This article reports on a symposium at the European Charcot Foundation, 2018, led by a panel of leading clinicians and patient experts from MS in the 21st Century, who debated the benefits, drawbacks, and challenges of communicating about disease progression, for both HCPs and PwMS, and potential ways to optimise these discussions.

Patient Power Revolution in Multiple Sclerosis: Navigating the New Frontier.

A debate on shared decision making in multiple sclerosis (MS) was led by a patient advocate and leading neurologists from the MS in the 21st Century Steering Group. Key themes and salient points which emerged from the debate and audience discussions are reported in this article. Arguments against shared decision making included the fact that physicians study and practice for years to reach their level of expertise, and that the level of understanding required to make these decisions may not be possible to communicate to patients within time-limited consultations.