Profile of Adherence to Therapy and Interventions to Promote Adherence in MS

Adherence is an active process wherein the patient acts in collaboration with the medical and paramedical staff in order to improve his/her health. Adherence to medication comprises of implementation and persistence and it is estimated to be around 50% in various chronic illnesses, including Multiple Sclerosis (MS). MS patients who fail to properly adhere to their DMTs regimen may be at increased risk for the development of new central nervous system lesions, exacerbations, increased disabilities and poorer quality of life. Plausible reasons for the low adherence rates in MS mentioned in the literature include patients\' attributes, condition attributes and therapy related factors. The objective of this study is to develop a personal profile of adherence based in the factors mentioned above. In the first part of the study patients will be followed up and the profile My Multiple Sclerosis Perception Adherence Scoring System (MyMS_PASS) will be created and tested. In the second part, patients with non-optimal rates of adherence will receive tailored intervention in order to improve therapy to treatment. This work may serve as a model for the study of adherence to therapy and the development of interventions in MS as well as in other chronic diseases.