The World Health Organization defines health as “as not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, but a state of complete psychical, mental and social well being.” Apps that support health need to look at the patient holistically, and figure out how to integrate the complexities of their conditions into technology to improve all aspects of their life. This holistic data has the potential to provide unique insights for healthcare providers (HCP) who can potentially use this data to assess treatment plans, change plans, and more.
The Growing Impact of Climate Change
MultipleSclerosis.net patient advocate Mitch Sturgeon surveyed the climate across the United States and wrote that the Pacific Northwest and Coastal California are the best climates to live in with MS. While the expected seasonal changes Sturgeon wrote about pose challenges, fluctuations in temperature, and higher temperatures overall may exacerbate those health challenges as well. Even slight changes in core body temperature can aggravate MS symptoms, causing more MS patients to potentially require greater clinical care. A recent study found that during anomalously warm weather, people with MS had increased risk of ER visits and inpatient hospital stays.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, climate change will influence human health in many ways. Health threats may get worse, and new ones could emerge, with the most vulnerable being those who have limited economic resources, who live in a vulnerable location, and who are elderly. Although this is a complex topic, it is one that needs to be understood to help people with MS better understand how to alleviate heat-aggravated symptoms.
Planning for the Future
Heat-related MS symptom aggravation is real, and can cause serious distress to individuals. Heat doesn’t just impact physical health, but all aspects of patient life. People are forced to balance their health demands with their careers, being close to their families, and the cost of living in different areas. It’s nearly impossible to balance all of life’s demands.
Understanding these concerns could help the healthcare industry alleviate the weighty impact of heat on the health and lives of people living with MS. Pharmaceutical companies validating a variety of different symptoms could potentially reach and help more people living with MS. Creating engaging, empathetic information could potentially open the avenue for social media amplification, better care experiences, and better health outcomes.
Relapse prevalence, symptoms, and health care engagement: Patient insights from the Multiple Sclerosis In America 2017 survey
The results of this study indicate the benefits of timely touchpoints on both the part of the patient and HCP during relapse include the relationship between higher frequency of engagement with lower relapse frequency and more discussion of both relapse-related and MS-related discussion topics.
Focused HCP discussion and proactive education on relapse identification and management improves patient reporting and timely treatment of MS relapse
Partnering with Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, this abstract was published at the CMSC Annual Meeting, showcasing data from Health Union’s Multiple Sclerosis In America 2017 survey.
New Survey Finds Multiple Sclerosis Patients Struggle with Misdiagnosis and Invisible Symptoms
MS in America 2017, a national survey of more than 5,300 individuals diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), reveals many people initially received an improper diagnosis and have trouble finding an effective treatment. The survey, conducted between January 25 and March 1, 2017, also finds patients struggle with pain and symptoms that impact many aspects of daily life. MS in America 2017 is the fifth annual Health Union survey about the condition.