Recruits are needed now for a study investigating Multiple Sclerosis from the patient's point of view.

Researchers at the Peninsula Medical School are asking people with Multiple Sclerosis from Plymouth and the surrounding areas to participate in a long-term study.  The research is being conducted to provide a greater understanding of Multiple Sclerosis from the patient's point of view.  The project is called the South West Impact of Multiple Sclerosis study (SWIMS).

Participants will be asked to complete a series of questionnaires about their everyday lives; which will focus on the impact of Multiple Sclerosis and the treatments that are used.  Researchers will record how the symptoms of the condition change. The information collected will form a 'natural history database', to increase our understanding of Multiple Sclerosis and inform future research into the condition.

Professor John Zajicek, Professor of Neurosciences at the Peninsula Medical School and Consultant Neurologist at Derriford Hospital , said: "Little is known of the development of Multiple Sclerosis from the patient's perspective.  This study will provide researchers with a much needed insight into the condition, which we hope will lead to the development of effective treatments for Multiple Sclerosis".

For further information on the study please contact the SWIMS team on freephone telephone number 0800 015 3430.

Notes

1.  This project does not involve taking any new medication, extra visits to the hospital or GP or extra clinical assessments or investigations.

2.  The Peninsula Medical School is a joint School of the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth and admitted its first cohort of undergraduate students on 30 September 2002 . Research is a vital part of the School's activities and is carried out in biomedical, clinical education and health services areas, which map NHS needs and priorities. The current research base has been established through the work previously carried out at the Postgraduate Medical Schools of the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth . For more information visit the Peninsula Medical School website at www.pms.ac.uk <http://www.pms.ac.uk/> 

3.  The Peninsula Postgraduate Health Institute (PPHI) is an exciting new partnership, which has been developed between the Peninsula Medical School, the Faculty of Health and Social Work at the University of Plymouth and the University of Exeter . PPHI is committed to working in partnership and providing an inter-professional learning environment for healthcare education in the South West. In the first instance it is intended that the programmes currently in the Peninsula Medical School and the Faculty of Health and Social Work at the University of Plymouth will be incorporated into the Peninsula Postgraduate Health Institute by September 2005.

For further information, please contact Hannah Skeggs, at Peninsula Medical School , on 01752 247442 or by email: hannah.skeggs@pms.ac.uk  <mailto:elly.sample@pms.ac.uk>

(26/11/04)