Demonstrating that multiple sclerosis specialist nurses make a difference to patient care

Abstract

An audit project was undertaken by a group of multiple sclerosis (MS) specialist nurses who were seeking to establish whether or not they were providing appropriate care. The authors wanted to ascertain if the care being provided met the patients' requirements and whether their input had a direct impact on the quality of life of people with MS. An audit tool was collectively designed to enable them to conduct a retrospective evaluation of service users who have regular contact with an MS specialist nursing service, identify key ways MS nurses contribute to the outcomes and overall quality of patient care, identify patient opinions and experiences of the MS specialist nursing service, and to identify where improvements can be made. There was a response rate of 55% from 1350 questionnaires, and results showed that 94.9% of patients responded positively to ten statements relating to their involvement with MS specialist nurses, ranging from emotional support to educational and clinical input in a timely manner. Additionally, 83% reported preferring to contact their MS nurse for MS-related problems rather than any other health professional.