The 10 Rules of MS Care reflect Dr. Stuart's interpretation and personal experience with thousands of MS patients throughout his 30-plus years of medical practice. The comprehensive care program at MSCA was designed to meet patient needs as defined by these guiding rules.
1. Diagnosis
Paramount in MS care is making or confirming an accurate diagnosis. All subsequent care is dependant on Rule One.
2. Education and Early Treatment
For patients to accept and follow early and long-term treatment, it is essential that they first be knowledgeable about their disease.
3. Symptom Management
Quality of life with MS is not only affected by control of disease progression, but also symptom management.
4. Disease Course Monitoring
All MS progression is not clinically apparent. Vigilant clinical and MRI monitoring are equally important in outcome and treatment decisions.
5. Management of Disease Progression
Single drug therapies are often effective. Increasingly, they need to be supplemented with a multiple drug regimen to ensure more control of disease progression.
6. Physical and Emotional Conditioning
MS is presumed to be an autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. It does not occur independent from a patient's general physical and emotional health.
7. Living with MS
"Accept, Take Control, and Move On!"
8. Rehabilitation Management &
9. Assistive Devices
When MS creates physical obstacles, rehabilitation is "taking control" and assistive devices are "moving on."
10. Life Planning
While the future will bring a cure, current expectations of productivity must sometimes be modified. Careful monitoring of resources and position can be achieved through planning.