Patient-Centered Approaches in Multiple Sclerosis Management

Management of multiple sclerosis (MS) has increasingly embraced patient-centred care, shifting from a predominantly clinician-driven model to one that prioritises the individual’s values, preferences and lived experience. This holistic approach integrates shared decision-making, patient empowerment and personalised support into all stages of care. Central to this paradigm are open communication regarding prognosis, tailored education on lifestyle and treatment options, and collaborative goal setting to optimise quality of life. Digital technologies, including telehealth consultations and web-based self-management courses, now complement face-to-face interactions, enabling remote monitoring and timely adjustments. Peer support networks and professionally moderated online communities foster social interaction and coping, while discrete choice methods elucidate diverse patient priorities in selecting disease-modifying therapies. By acknowledging heterogeneity across cultural, educational and psychosocial backgrounds, patient-centred strategies aim to enhance adherence, promote self-efficacy and ultimately improve clinical and everyday outcomes for people living with MS on a global scale.

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Patient-Centered Approaches in Multiple Sclerosis Management publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in patient-centered approaches in multiple sclerosis management across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Patient-centred care: A model of healthcare that prioritises an individual’s preferences, needs and values in all clinical decisions.

Shared decision-making: Collaborative process in which clinicians and patients jointly consider treatment options and agree on a plan.

Disease-modifying therapies (DMTs): Medications that aim to alter the course of MS by reducing relapse rate and slowing disability progression.

Self-management: Strategies and behaviours that enable individuals to monitor and manage symptoms, treatment and lifestyle factors.

Telehealth: Delivery of healthcare services remotely via telecommunications technologies.

Adherence: The extent to which a patient follows prescribed treatment regimens and recommendations.

References

1. Web-Based Health Information Seeking by People Living With Multiple Sclerosis: Qualitative Investigation of the Multiple Sclerosis Online Course. Journal of Medical Internet Research (2024).
2. Health-Related Coping and Social Interaction in People with Multiple Sclerosis Supported by a Social Network: Pilot Study With a New Methodological Approach. Interactive Journal of Medical Research (2017).
3. Identification and Prioritization of Important Attributes of Disease-Modifying Drugs in Decision Making among Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Nominal Group Technique and Best-Worst Scaling. PLOS ONE (2016).