Social media 'most helpful resource' for MS patients

Written by: Alex Turnbull | Published: 19 September 2014

Social media and online resources provides more valuable information to MS patients than healthcare professionals, a new survey has shown.

The State of MS surveyed 982 MS patients and 900 neurologists in the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain and the US. It found that 72 per cent of MS patients thought social media was the most helpful resource, compared to 39 per cent for healthcare professionals.

The survey also showed that 20 per cent of neurologists and other MS specialists withhold information, saying they limit discussion to a 'need-to-know' basis. Ninety per cent of patients said they would like to know everything about their condition, good and bad. It also revealed that 45 per cent of MS patients in the UK had seen a specialist MS nurse, as opposed to nine per cent in the other countries surveyed.

The survey also examined the impact of MS on patients' lives. Three quarters of respondents said the condition had an effect on their ability to work, while 56 per cent stated that MS affected their sex lives.

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