Course 1: Understanding MS: Course

It is important for rehabiliation practitioners to have an appreciation of the pathophysiology contributing to the development of MS.

This course will provide the essential concepts and information required to answer patients’ questions about what causes their disease and how the disease will affect their future life.

What you will Learn

After completing this course, you should be better able to:

• Appreciate the importance of understanding the pathophysiology of MS as a foundation for making decisions concerning the management of MS
• Identify the various types of MS and know their natural history and progression
• State the genetic, race, gender and environmental factors which affect the incidence of MS
• Describe the structure of the nervous system and how its function is altered by MS
• Explain the function of the immune system and how its role is disrupted by MS
• Describe the underlying pathophysiological causes of the most common symptoms associated with MS
• Recognise that central to this is the inflammation and demyelination of axons which disrupts neural conduction
• Appreciate that cortical pathology may determine cognitive disability in MS.

Target Audience

This activity has been developed to meet the educational needs of nurses and rehabilitation practitioners who have an interest in optimising the management of people with MS.

There are no fees for participating and receiving CME credit for this activity. Participants must:

1. Read the learning objectives
2. Participate in the entire educational activity