163 Development of clinical and patient-reported quality metrics for multiple sclerosis: a UK pilot study report

Abstract

BackgroundQuality standards (QS) for people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) are suboptimal, ambiguous and restricted to certain patient subgroups and care pathways.AimDevelop and pilot MS metrics measuring service provision quality to identify areas for improvement.MethodsA multidisciplinary Working Group developed clinician and patient-reported metrics and standardised data collection forms through an iterative process.ResultsMetrics covered: referral; diagnosis; treatment; annual review; general management; education. Pilot (n=76) showed: 31% of PwMS were referred to MS specialist within 4 weeks of suspected/confirmed demyelination; 28% and 56% had uncomplicated MS confirmed and were offered specialist MS nurse appointment, respectively, within 4 weeks of specialist referral; 75% of eligible PwMS were offered disease-modifying therapy within 8 weeks of confirmed MS diagnosis; 85% had comprehensive multidisciplinary team (MDT) annual review; 90% had a defined point of contact within the MS service; 86% of unscheduled contacts by PwMS, MDT or general practitioners were responded to within 3 days; 53% of MS services maintained a single database of PwMS; and 76% of PwMS were offered ongoing education. Data collection continues and updated findings will be reported.DiscussionMS metrics/data forms are feasible for routine clinical settings, simple to interpret and provide a valuable benchmark for guiding MS service improvements.