This letter
in Multiple Sclerosis Journal highlights the importance of the MS Nurse
Specialist in caring for MSers and more specifically in avoiding emergency
admissions.
The authors
looked at hospital emergency admissions in MSers before and after a cash
injection which boosted Nurse Specialists hours. The authors claim that there
was a reduction in hospital bed usage from 2700 bed days per year (2002-2006)
to 33 bed days per year (2007-2012). This is a decrease of 99%!!
This finding
demonstrates the importance of the MS Nurse Specialist in providing a holistic
service for MSers and caring for everyday problems that may arise. In this
case, it meant avoiding hospital admissions which can be stressful, risky and
often avoidable.
In our
recent away day, it was interesting to hear our own MS Nurse Specialists
discussing the challenges they face with increasing workloads and funding
instability. The job they do is clearly essential and valuable and they often
know the answers to questions which doctors cannot answer.
Do you have easy access to a MS Nurse
Specialist?
Have you avoided unnecessary
admissions to hospital by contacting a Nurse Specialist as the first point of
call?
How could access to MS Nurse
Specialists be improved, if at all?
The value of the multiple sclerosis specialist nurse with respect to
prevention of unnecessary emergency admission.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24647556