Course 5: Care and Support

This course examines the relationship of the person with MS and the nurse. Participants learn about the psychological and social impact MS can have on individuals and their families. This includes mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and cognition as well as the impact on employment and social activities. Participants gain an understanding of how the nurse can optimise outcomes for someone living with MS.

What you will Learn

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

• Identify how MS can impact upon the emotional well-being of the person with MS
• Describe the social and emotional impact of caregiving and the importance of establishing a strong relationship with the carer
• Evaluate the importance of educating the person with MS and their family members
• Describe the role of the multidisciplinary team in MS care
• Outline coping and adaptation strategies that can be implemented to assist the person with MS
• Implement non-pharmacologic interventions for the management of common symptoms
• Outline the role of the nurse in symptomatic assessment and management
• Outline the current data on management issues in pregnant and breastfeeding women with MS
• Discuss sexual health issues in males and females with MS and apply strategies for the assessment of sexuality
• Assess the economic, social and emotional impact of living with MS
• Describe the impact that a diagnosis of MS can have on the family unit
• Discuss strategies to improve the lifestyle of people with MS
• Indicate the value of the MS Nurse in optimising patient support

Target Audience

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

Duration

The estimated time to complete this course is 5 hours.

Method of Participation

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, consisting of 5 foundation courses
3. Complete the exam for each course by recording the best answer to each question; a 75% pass mark is required
4. Complete the feedback survey

A certificate of completion will be available to download at the end of each course. Upon successful completion of all 5 courses which make up the foundation programme, you will be provided with a statement of accreditation which you can download, save and print.