Most MS stakeholders agree that clinical course descriptors for MS, which currently include a combination of clinical and MRI features, need to be changed, according to results published in Multiple Sclerosis Journal. Alan J. Thompson, MD, and colleagues asked MS stakeholders to rate the need to change current MS clinical course descriptors, the definitions of disease course, and their importance in clinical practice and related topics. Many (77%) of the 502 respondents supported changes to the current MS clinical course descriptors, with a preference for a framework that informs treatment, assists with the design and running of clinical trials, and enables patients to understand MS. Respondents rated clinical validation prior to use and the ease of communicating with patients as the most important factors to consider when developing any new framework for describing MS. “Any change process will need to engage a wide range of affected stakeholders and be guided by foundational principles,” Dr. Thompson and colleagues wrote.
