New Publications

MS Ireland launches new publications ‘Time to Act’ and ‘MS Treatment Decisions’

MS Ireland is delighted to launch two major new publications, ‘Time to Act – A consensus on early treatment’ and ‘MS Treatment Decisions’ in Brain Awareness Week 2017. 

Time to Act - A consensus on early treatment is a consensus statement on early diagnosis and treatment in MS. Based on a paper published by the UK MS Society in September 2015, this document outlines and reviews the latest research evidence regarding the importance of starting treatment with a disease modifying therapy (DMT) as soon as possible after diagnosis. In adapting this paper for the Irish context, MS Ireland consulted with a group of Irish neurologists with a specialist interest in MS. Time to Act contains detailed recommendations for policy makers and clinicians, and MS Ireland envisages that this will be a valuable tool in helping us to advocate for greater investment in neurology services in Ireland and better access to treatment and care for people with MS. 

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MS Treatment Decisions - is for people with MS or suspected MS. It aims to empower and equip people with MS or suspected MS to:

  • Understand the importance of early diagnosis and early treatment (if appropriate)
  • Explain to healthcare professionals what is most important to them and what their treatment goals are
  • Ask questions until they feel they have all the information they need to make informed decisions regarding their treatment and care
  • Understand the importance of regular MRI scanning to monitor disease activity, and be able to discuss scan results and their implications with healthcare professionals
  • Be able to monitor their MS by keeping records of symptoms and other factors that impact on health and wellbeing, such as side effects from treatments
  • Be confident when engaging in discussions with healthcare professionals about treatment options, so the decision-making can be shared

MS Treatment Decisions was developed in consultation with neurologists, MS nurses and people with MS. Information was also taken from ‘Brain Health: A Guide for People with Multiple Sclerosis’, published by Oxford PhramaGenesis. 

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In addition to the people with MS and the clinicians acknowledged in the documents, MS Ireland would also like to thank Mags Rogers from the Neurological Alliance of Ireland for her assistance and Sanofi Genzyme who supported the development of the publications with an unrestricted grant. 

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(Left to right) Harriet Doig, Information, Advocacy and Research Officer from MS Ireland, Professor Tim Lynch, one of the four neurologists who participated in MS Ireland’s Advisory Board, and Fred Doherty, Sanofi Genzyme.

Further reading:

MS Ireland has developed a guide to the National Clinical Programme for Neurology Model of Care, which was launched in September 2016 and is referenced throughout Time to Act. This guide presents a summary of the Model of Care document, with particular reference to how it relates to people with MS. This can be downloaded here

MS Ireland’s ‘Societal Costs of Multiple Sclerosis in Ireland 2015’ report can be downloaded here

Get in touch:

For further information and questions regarding these documents, or to obtain hard copies, please email Harriet Doig, Information, Advocacy and Research Officer at harrietd@ms-society.ie 

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