A study funded by the National MS Society has confirmed that nearly one million people are living with MS in the United States, more than twice the original estimate from a previous study.  Most care for patients with MS is managed as an outpatient.  However, patients will occasionally go to an emergency department for assessment and management of neurologic or non-neurologic problems.  It is important for the care providers in emergency settings to be familiar with MS to be able to determine whether the presenting problem may be directly due to the patient’s underlying MS.  In addition, it is well-established that baseline neurologic deficits may worsen in the setting of certain stressors, such as trauma or infection, and it is important for emergency center personnel to be aware of this and be able to initiate appropriate evaluation for such contributors to these pseudo-exacerbations (pseudo-relapse). 
 
This on-demand activity was created by the National MS Society’s South Central Healthcare Provider Council, and it is the consensus of the Council and recent research, that the care of patients with MS in emergency settings is not ideal and could be improved through education. This professional development activity is a video webinar presentation for physicians and other medical personnel who may encounter MS patients in an emergency center setting.    

To review this free professional development activity: download the webinar recording (MP4 file)