Aim of the study: This study assesses the changes in self-reported quality of life (QoL) from hospitalisation to 18 months later among people
with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have participated in treatments based on collaboration between conventional healthcare providers and CAM
practitioners.
Materials and methods: A pre- and post-test evaluation design including an intervention group and a comparison group was employed in this
study. 142 people with MS were analysed in the intervention group and 142 in the comparison group. Each person in the intervention group was
treated with combined interventions by a team of five healthcare providers and five CAM practitioners. The outcome measure was a change in
QoL (measured as the difference in total score and sub-scores on the Functional Assessment of Multiple Sclerosis (FAMS) QoL scale).
Results: From hospitalisation and through an 18-month period, people with MS who had participated in treatments based on collaboration between
healthcare providers and CAM practitioners experienced a statistically significant different change in QoL compared to people with MS who had
been treated within the current ‘best practice’ model. The difference in QoLwas found within the areas of emotional well-being and thinking/fatigue.
Conclusion: The results indicate that collaboration between healthcare providers andCAMpractitioners can improve treatment outcomes regarding
some of the psychological aspects of QoL over a period of 18 months for people with MS.