Canadian Multiple Sclerosis Rehabilitation Clinical Best Practice Guideline

Start Term
End Term
Funding Amount
$200,000
Affiliation(s)
University of Saskatchewan
Geographic Region(s) / Province(s)
Saskatchewan
Researcher(s)
Dr. Sarah Donkers
Impact Goal(s)
Advance Treatment and Care
Enhance Well-being

Generously funded by the Frederick and Isabella Troop Family Foundation.

Summary:

  • Rehabilitation can support symptom management, optimize functional independence, and enhance social participation for people living with MS. Currently, there is significant variation in the access and quality of rehabilitation services for people living with MS across Canada.
  • Dr. Donkers and team aim to develop the first Canadian MS Rehabilitation Clinical Best Practice Guideline to advance access to comprehensive MS care and improve health outcomes for people with MS. 
  • Creation of this clinical best practice guideline has the potential to have a lasting impact on the health management and quality of life for people with MS. 

 

Project Description: 

Rehabilitation has been shown to increase one’s ability to continue to engage in meaningful life tasks through managing symptoms, optimizing functional independence, and enhancing social participation for people with MS. However, there is currently no standard of care for MS rehabilitation in Canada and there is significant variation in access to and quality of care across the country. 

Dr. Donkers and team aim to develop the first comprehensive and accessible clinical best practice guideline for MS rehabilitation and symptom management to inform care across the continuum for people affected by MS in Canada. This guideline will include recommendations based on the best available evidence and are intended to optimize quality of care and health outcomes for people living with MS. To develop the guideline, Dr. Donkers will bring together a team of experts across Canada with varying skills and perspectives, including people living with MS. The team will review the latest research and evidence on prioritized topics in MS rehabilitation and symptom management, such as fatigue, mobility, cognition, mood and emotion. They will then develop clear recommendations based on this evidence while considering the clinical needs and preferences of people with MS. The final guidelines will be made available on a website and knowledge dissemination and implementation tools will be created to help increase awareness, uptake and clinical use of the guidelines.

Potential Impact: 

This research has the potential to improve the health management and quality of life for people living with MS. Creation of a clinical best practice guideline will serve as a valuable resource and inform decision making for people with MS and their healthcare team.

Project Status: In Progress

*This research is funded in partnership with Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation and MS Canada. MS Canada is providing $200,000 and SHRF is providing $100,000 in support of this research.