Relationship Between Domestic Violence and Multiple Sclerosis

2008 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-32
Author(s):  
Margie O'Leary ◽  
Sherie Lammers ◽  
Anne Mageras ◽  
Marilyn Boyd ◽  
Rose Constantino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Crisis Intervention ◽  
The United States ◽  
Safety Planning ◽  
Critical Part ◽  
Legal Professionals ◽  
Innovative Program ◽  
National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Domestic violence (DV) is the leading cause of injury to women in the United States. The problem also affects men but at a lower rate. An innovative program to address DV and abuse of people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) has been developed by the Allegheny District Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). The program, known as REACH, was designed to improve the ability to screen for DV and abuse and to provide subsequent crisis intervention, empowerment options, counseling, and safety planning. A critical part of REACH has been the instruction provided to health care and legal professionals, NMSS staff, caseworkers, and people diagnosed with MS. The REACH program has been enormously successful in increasing awareness and detection of DV and abuse within the chapter service area, and this expertise has been widely communicated throughout the organization.

A comprehensive assessment of the cost of multiple sclerosis in the United States

1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 419-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Whetten-Goldstein ◽  
Frank A Sloan ◽  
Larry B Goldstein ◽  
Elizabeth D Kulas
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Informal Care ◽  
Annual Cost ◽  
Lifetime Cost ◽  
The United States ◽  
Personal Health ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
The Cost

Comprehensive data on the costs of multiple sclerosis is sparse. We conducted a survey of 606 persons with MS who were members of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to obtain data on their cost of personal health services, other services, equipment, and earnings. Compensation of such cost in the form of health insurance, income support, and other subsidies was measured. Survey data and data from several secondary sources was used to measure costs incurred by comparable persons without MS. Based on the 1994 data, the annual cost of MS was estimated at over $34 000 per person, translating into a conservative estimate of national annual cost of $6.8 billion, and a total lifetime cost per case of $2.2 million. Major components of cost were earnings loss and informal care. Virtually all persons with MS had health insurance, mostly Medicare/Medicaid. Health insurance covered 51 per cent of costs for services, excluding informal care. On average, compensation for earnings loss was 27 per cent. MS is very costly to the individual, health care system, and society. Much of the cost (57 per cent) is in the form of burdens other than personal health care, including earnings loss, equipment and alternations, and formal and informal care. These costs often are not calculated.

Use of Alternative Treatments by People with Multiple Sclerosis

1999 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 243-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathy S. Berkman ◽  
Monica G. Pignotti ◽  
Pamela F. Cavallo ◽  
Nancy J. Holland
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Complementary Therapies ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Alternative Treatments ◽  
Disease Characteristics ◽  
Specific Alternative ◽  
National Multiple Sclerosis Society ◽  
Treatment Use

The prevalence, predictors, and description of alternative treatment use among peo ple with multiple sclerosis (MS) have not been well studied despite interest and con cern about such use among health care professionals and people with MS. The goal of this study was to describe the prevalence of the use of specific alternative treatments by people with MS, the sociodemographic and disease characteristics of those most likely to use alternative treatments, perceived benefits and harms from use of these treatments, and the reasons for their use. Almost three-fifths of the study sample of 240 people diagnosed with MS from two chapters of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society had used alternative treatments. Most (90 percent) of those who had used al ternative treatments did so in combination with traditional treatments. Only 7.1 per cent used any treatments considered to be high risk or dangerous. The primary reason for using alternative treatments was to obtain relief from physical and psychological symptoms. Implications of these findings for health care professionals are discussed. Key Words: Multiple sclerosis—Alternative therapies—Complementary therapies— Alternative medical practices—Unconventional medicine.

scholarly journals All-Cause Health Care Utilization and Costs Associated with Newly Diagnosed Multiple Sclerosis in the United States

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. 703-712 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl V. Asche ◽  
Mendel E. Singer ◽  
Mehul Jhaveri ◽  
Hsingwen Chung ◽  
Aaron Miller
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Utilization ◽  
The United States ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Newly Diagnosed

Alternative Medicine and Multiple Sclerosis: An Objective Review from an American Perspective

2000 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 15-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen C. Bowling ◽  
Ragaa Ibrahim ◽  
Thomas M. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
The United States ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
American Perspective ◽  
Conventional Medical Therapy

Abstract The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), or unconventional medicine, may be challenging for health care providers in the United States. There are several definitions of CAM, and therapies that are considered alternative in one country may be conventional in other countries. Unconventional medical practices may be used instead of, or in addition to, conventional medical therapy. It may be difficult for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) to obtain reliable MS-relevant CAM information, and there may be conflicts between the values of patients and those of health care providers. These issues may create problems in the clinical decision-making process. The relevance to MS of some commonly used CAM therapies is discussed: herbal medicine, vitamins and minerals, marijuana, and a histamine and caffeine transdermal gel patch. Current information about the efficacy and safety of CAM therapies is extremely variable. Some therapies appear promising, others are unsafe or ineffective, and nearly all need to be studied further.

Longitudinal Assessment of Multiple Sclerosis Patients and Reimbursement Issues

2005 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 129-131
Author(s):  
Michael Kaufman ◽  
Gary Cutter ◽  
Steven Schwid ◽  
Kenneth Johnson ◽  
June Halper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Patient Outcomes ◽  
The United States ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Longitudinal Assessment ◽  
Optimal Care ◽  
The Past ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Advances over the past decade in the management of multiple sclerosis (MS) have led to improved patient outcomes and renewed optimism among patients and clinicians alike. However, in the United States, the growing complexity of MS care has been paralleled by an increasingly regulated health care system and restraints imposed by third-party payors. To continue to maintain viable practices and offer patients optimal care, clinicians need to develop and refine investigations and therapeutic regimens that are appropriate for use in patients with MS while satisfying the fiscal concerns of third-party payors.

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