MS Nurses are an integral part of the multidisciplinary healthcare team of specialist healthcare professionals providing support, education, advice, and care for people with MS and their family and carers including:  

• Information, education and advice at the point of diagnosis and ongoing  

• Case management and clinical care  

• Symptom assessment and management  

• Relapse management  

• Monitoring, safety and risk management of disease modifying therapies (DMTs) and medications  

• The provision of psychosocial support  

• Assisting with accessing relevant support services  

• Empowering people through informed and shared decision-making about treatment, lifestyle, and research choices  

MS Nurse Practitioners (NP) can provide additional care including assess, plan and treat, prescribe (some) symptomatic therapies, order pathology and some radiology.  

The benefits of MS nursing care 

Access to MS Nurse care brings health benefits for people with MS. These include lower disability level, slower self-reported disease progression, less severe symptoms, lower levels of depression and anxiety, and a higher quality of life.   

MS Nurses are also a highly cost-effective model of care. MS Nurse care reduces the need for other, more costly health professionals, such as GPs and neurologists and prevents unnecessary emergency department presentations and potentially, unplanned hospital admissions.  

If every Australian with MS had access to MS Nurse care as part of their ongoing MS management plan this would result in substantial cost savings for MS healthcare in Australia. It would significantly delay disease progression and contribute to an increased quality of life. There are further savings from a reduced reliance on National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) supports and other health, disability and aged care programs and supports.