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Disability assessment: new resources for a better evaluation of MS and NMOSD
12.12.2023According to the Italian MS and Related Disorders Barometer 2023, disability assessment procedures to access social and healthcare support still represent a big challenge for many people affected by these pathologies.
69% of those who submitted the assessment procedures in the last 3 years believe that the medical commission did not consider invisible symptoms, and 45.3% feel they received an unfair evaluation.
A significant step forward for the rights of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) was done with the new guidelines for disability assessment in Multiple Sclerosis and NMOSD, released by the Italian MS Society in collaboration with the Italian National Institute for Social Security and with the sponsorship of the Italian Society of Neurology and the Society of Hospital Neurologists, Neurosurgeons, and Neuroradiologists.
These publications are both technical and scientific guidelines, they mark a paradigm shift for disability assessment, introducing innovative tools and push for the digital transformation of existing processes.
They address the most updated scientific evidence, together with specific focuses on telemedicine, the new national legislative framework on disability.
Another innovation concerns the extension of focus on Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD), severe and rare autoimmune diseases that affect the central nervous system, but which are different from MS, with different mechanisms and patients’ needs.
The guidelines, formerly published in 2013, have been updated and enriched with the latest information regarding diagnosis, symptoms treatments and disease modifying treatments. There is a specific focus on pediatric MS.
“The evaluation and recognition of disability represent a significant step forward for our MS Agenda 2025 to improve the lives of those with multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica, ensuring their fundamental rights defined in the Charter of Rights,” declares Francesco Vacca, national president of the Italian MS Society.
Mario Alberto Battaglia, President of the Italian Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, adds,
“These publications focused on MS and NMOSD are also the result of excellent scientific research, incorporating the latest discoveries in the understanding and clinical and social management of multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica, thanks to the experience of the Italian MS Society, and the long-lasting collaboration with neurologists working in MS centers and with the scientific societies”.
For further information (In Italian)
https://aism.it/comunicazione-tecnico-scientifica-valutazione-stati-invalidanti
