A resource developed by TiMS (Therapists in MS)
A key aim of the research working group is to support and facilitate clinically relevant research. The group have worked on standardised study protocols, training days, and provide ongoing support and guidance to local novice researchers. Case studies as well as research support can be found in this section.
In 2011, the research group aimed to gain an overview of sleep disturbance management by UK MS nurses and therapists.
Sleep disturbance affects quality of life and is related to increased morbidity in MS. It is far more frequently reported in people with MS than in the general population. Management requires input from multi-disciplinary team members (mdt) and while recommended that sleep disturbance should be addressed within daily management, there is a lack of literature describing what comprises routine practice.
The first step of this ethically approved study project was to distribute a clinical survey around specific questions on sleep hygiene practise to MS nurses and allied health professionals during the MS Trust Conference.
View a sample of the sleep disturbance project survey questionnaire (PDF, 360KB)
180 delegates completed the questionnaire with a 70% response rate. Respondents worked across a range of clinical settings and a variety of interventions were being used. While most (84%) considered sleep management to be part of their role, only 10% felt confident in their knowledge about it. Relatively few used specific sleep disturbance instruments, either for assessment (33%) or to evaluate outcome (39%); 37% were not aware specific instruments were available. Perhaps unsurprisingly 49 % would value further training on this topic
In conclusion, the survey provided an initial understanding of current practice by experienced MS nurses & therapists in the UK. It suggested knowledge about sleep disturbance, particularly related to assessment instruments, may be limited.
In May 2012 an abstract of the study was published in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal 2012 18: S15-S18 entitled "Management of Sleep Disturbance: A survey of current practice in the United Kingdom (UK) (PDF, 45KB)"
In May 2012 Ewa Johnansson-Charles, part of the TiMS research group presented “Assessment and management of sleep disturbances in people with MS: a survey of clinical practice (PDF, 335KB)" at the RIMS (Rehabilitation in MS) conference in Hungry.
