International Journal of MS Care 115 From the University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland (SC); Dublin Phys- iotherapy Clinic, Dublin, Ireland (GM); and Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland (MS). Correspondence: Susan Coote, PhD, Depart- ment of Physiotherapy, Health Sciences Bldg., University of Limer- ick, Castletroy, Limerick, Ireland; e-mail: susan.coote@ul.ie. Note on terminology: Although the term physical therapy is more commonly used in the United States than physiotherapy, the latter term is used throughout this article to refect a distinction between the two terms in Ireland, the country in which this study was per- formed. In many countries physiotherapists are members of the World Confederation of Physical Therapy (WCPT); however, in Ire- land a group of practitioners who are not eligible for membership in the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists (a member orga- nization of the WCPT) use the term physical therapist. The people with multiple sclerosis described in this article received services from physiotherapists eligible for membership in the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists. A Profling Study of People with Multiple Sclerosis Who Access Physiotherapy Services in Ireland Susan Coote, PhD; Grainne McKeown, BSc (Hons); Michelle Shannon, MSc; for the Physiotherapists Interested in Multiple Sclerosis (PIMS) Group In a survey of its members conducted by the MS Society of Ireland, access to physiotherapy was report- ed as the greatest unmet need. This national multicenter profling study surveyed people with multiple sclerosis (MS) receiving physiotherapy services at a range of locations to determine their characteristics and the amount of intervention received. A standardized data-collection sheet was developed, and data were collected over a 3-month period. The lower-extremity section of the Guys Neurological Dis- ability Scale was used to classify mobility level, which varied widely. A total of 295 people received physiotherapy at 17 services during the 3-month period. Of these, 72% were female, and most had relapsing-remitting (43%) or secondary progressive MS (39%). Those using walking aids made up the largest proportion of participants (47.5%). On average, participants received 3.6 hours of physiother- apy over the 3-month period, with 36% of participants receiving 1 hour or less and 9.5% of partici- pants receiving more than 8 hours. The main problems cited were balance, fatigue, walking, mobility, and strength. Further research is required to determine whether the small amount of physiotherapy being received by MS patients in Ireland is suffcient to bring about improvement or prevent further deterioration in functional status. Int J MS Care. 2010;12:115–121. M ultiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex disease of the central nervous system affecting pri- marily young to middle-aged adults, typi- cally with a relapsing-remitting or gradual progressive deterioration of neurologic function. 1 The incidence of MS in England and Wales is between 3 and 6 per 100,000 population annually, 2 with a prevalence of 100 to 120 per 100,000. In Ireland no incidence estimates are available, although epidemiological research is cur- rently under way (St. Vincent’s Hospital, Dublin). The MS Society of Ireland has approximately 5000 members with MS and estimates that there are 7000 people living in Ireland with a diagnosis of MS. People with MS make up the single largest diagnostic category in Ireland’s National Physical and Sensory Disability Database. 3 Multiple sclerosis is an extremely variable and unpre- dictable condition in terms of both disease progression and presenting symptoms. Given the signifcant impact of symptoms on many aspects of daily life, it has been suggested that services should not be limited to pharma- cologic treatment but should include the many rehabili- tation disciplines that are designed to improve quality of life. 4 Among these, physiotherapy is considered by many to be a key component of the management of MS. Many of the symptoms of MS that can be addressed by physiotherapy (eg, balance, fatigue, mobility, spas- ticity, movement dysfunction) influence functional capacity. Studies have suggested that increased physical functioning acts as a moderator for improved quality of Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/ijmsc/article-pdf/12/3/115/2091586/1537-2073-12_3_115.pdf by guest on 16 January 2023