A programme to standardise the level of multiple sclerosis nursing across the EU is being piloted in Malta, in a demonstration of how the country seeks to lead the way in the training and education of specialist nurses.
Over 20 expert nurses from across Europe, including four from Malta, will test the first and only MS nurse Continuing Medical Education (CME) accredited nurse programme, MS Nurse PROfessional, which will ultimately result in a professional qualification. The nurses will also evaluate the first MS Nurse Consensus Paper, entitled Moving Towards the Pan-European Unification and Recognition of MS Nurses, which articulates the paramount role MS nurses play in patient care.
MS is a complex, chronic and disabling disease. It affects twice as many women as men, and is usually first diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, at a critical stage in adult life. To date, no cure exists. It is estimated that there are more than 600,000 people with MS in Europe. In Malta, this figure is 257.
Health Minister Joe Cassar commented: “Specialist nurses offer unparalleled high-quality care and support for patients and their families. However, in the area of MS the role lacks the recognition it deserves across Europe. Malta is honoured to be taking the lead in the recognition and unification of MS Nurses in Europe. This further demonstrates Malta’s commitment to providing the best possible care for people with this chronic and disabling disease, which affects over 200 people in our country.”
The MS Nurse PROfessional and Consensus Paper resulted from the findings of the largest survey of MS nurses across Europe: MS-NEED (Multiple Sclerosis-Nurse Empowering EDucation): European Survey, which highlighted the fact that almost a quarter of these nurses felt they had not received adequate training and education to support them in their day-to-day role in treating MS. The MS-NEED initiative is led by the European MS Platform (EMSP), in collaboration with the International Organisation of MS Nurses (IOMSN) and Rehabilitation in MS (RIMS).
On a European level, the MS-NEED initiative supports the European Commission directive that establishes the rules for mutual recognition of qualifications when professionals (including those from the health sector) want to provide their services or establish themselves in another member state. MS Nurse PROfessional and accompanying Consensus Paper support the European Commission’s Modernising the Professional Qualifications Directive, which aims to ensure alignment of healthcare practices across Europe.
European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy John Dalli added: “Europe’s ability to provide high quality healthcare to its citizens relies on well-trained and committed health professionals. The unification of training for nurses in multiple sclerosis care, through a quantifiable skills-based programme, is important in improving care for people living with MS, and their families.
MS Nurse PROfessional comprises several core educational modules, which will be accessible online in multiple languages once launched later this year. It will be accredited by the UK’s Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and co-endorsed by various universities across Europe as well as by the European Association for Neuroscience Nurses. The Moving Towards the Pan-European Unification and Recognition of MS Nurses Consensus Paper will be endorsed by patient and professional bodies across Europe. A further pilot to test the curriculum in a local language in a larger country will take place later this year in Spain.