title: The physical and psychological impact of multiple sclerosis using the MSIS-29 via the web portal of the UK MS Register.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The MSIS-29 was developed to assess the physical and psychological impact of MS. The aims of this study were to use the responses to the MSIS-29 via the web portal of the UK MS Register to: examine the internal properties of the scale delivered via the internet, profile the cohort, and assess how well the scale measures impact of disability on the potential workforce.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between May 2011 and April 2012, 4558 people with MS completed the MSIS-29(v.1). The responses were collated with basic demographic and descriptive MS data and the resulting dataset was analysed in SPSS(v.20).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Internal consistency was high (Cronbach's alpha 0.97 MSIS-29-PHYS, 0.92 MSIS-29-PSYCH). The mean MSIS-29-PHYS score was 60.5 (50.6%) with a median of 62 and the mean MSIS-29-PSYCH score was 24.8 (43.8%) with a median of 24. Physical scores increased with age and disease duration (p<0.001, p<0.001), but there was a weak negative relationship between psychological scores and age (p<0.001). The odds of people having an employment status of sick/disabled were 7.2 (CI 5.5, 9.4, p<0.001) for people with a moderate physical score, and 22.3 (CI 17.0, 29.3, p<0.001) for people with a high physical score (relative to having a low physical score).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This largest known study of its kind has demonstrated how the MSIS-29 can be administered via the internet to characterise a cohort, and to predict the likely impact of disability on taking an active part in the workforce, as a reasonable proxy for the effects of MS on general activities. The findings examining MSIS-29-PHYS and MSIS-29-PSYCH scores against age support the use of two sub-scales, not a combined score. These results underline the importance of using a scale such as this to monitor disability levels regularly in guiding MS care to enable people to be as active as possible.
authors: College of Medicine, Swansea University, Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. k.h.jones@swansea.ac.uk
authors: Kerina H
authors: KH
authors: Jones
authors: David V
authors: DV
authors: Ford
authors: Philip A
authors: PA
authors: Jones
authors: Ann
authors: A
authors: John
authors: Rodden M
authors: RM
authors: Middleton
authors: Hazel
authors: H
authors: Lockhart-Jones
authors: Jeffrey
authors: J
authors: Peng
authors: Lisa A
authors: LA
authors: Osborne
authors: J Gareth
authors: JG
authors: Noble
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods*; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D006113:United Kingdom
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