The Dartmouth MS Center Learning Community: Equipping People with Multiple Sclerosis with Tools for Improving Self Efficacy & Management
Andrew D. Smith III, MD & E. Chandlee Bryan, M.Ed.

Dartmouth Health, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Lebanon, NH, USA

People with Chronic Illness want to Learn from their Providers & Fellow Patients

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system and a “3C” condition: chronic, costly, and complex. Building on work with the ICoHN Co-Value Study, a neurologist and a Person with MS (PwMS) co-designed a three-part webinar series for newly designed PwMS and their families to teach strategies for navigating MS, their local healthcare system, and wellness.

Hypothesis: When PwMS are trained to navigate MS and the healthcare system, self-management and self-efficacy will improve.

Methodology: This was a co-production project designed by a Neurologist (Smith) and a Person with MS (Bryan) for newly diagnosed PwMS. This was a webinar series that was developed as a quality improvement study to evaluate the feasibility of scaling up the intervention. The workshop was presented in three modules.

I. Introduction to MS

Separating MS as a disease and illness (symptoms) provides an easy-to-understand way for PwMS and families to learn about MS.

II. Comprehensive Care / Creating a Care Team

Reviewing potential MS symptoms and providing an example of how a PwMS can assemble a care team to address individual concerns and treatment goals.

III. Communication and Building Support

• Tips for preparing for clinic appointments and communicating needs with care team.
• Strategies for finding confidential sources of support before educating friends, family, and co-workers about disease
• Sharing community support networks

Findings

PwMS offered an opportunity to learn from their neurologist found it to be helpful.
PwMS were offered the ability to participate off-camera, but all participants opted to use video.
100% of program participants attended at two or more sessions and said they found sessions to be beneficial. A second iteration of the workshop series will be offered to a larger population of PwMS in 2025.