Outcomes of a Day Wellness Program for People With Multiple Sclerosis Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The John A. Schafer, MD Multiple Sclerosis Achievement Center (MSAC) conducts wellness programs that include exercise, cognitive stimulation, education, emotional support, and socialization for people with multiple sclerosis and their care partners. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are collected annually. Four-year outcomes encompass the COVID-19 pandemic when some of these programs were offered virtually.

Methods: Beginning in 2017, baseline data were collected for 110 MSAC day wellness program participants through PRO measures. Of those 110, 52 completed PROs annually through 2021. Outcome measures included the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29); Multiple Sclerosis Self-Efficacy Scale (MSSE-10); Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ); and the Neurology Quality of Life domains of Anxiety, Depression, Emotional and Behavioral Dysregulation, Positive Affect, Cognition, Ability to Participate in and Satisfaction with Social Roles and Activities, and Satisfaction with Social Roles and Activities. Analysis using t tests compared baseline with 4-year data. A separate analysis compared outcomes collected in January 2020 and January 2021.

Results: Analysis of 4-year data demonstrated statistically significant improvement in MSIS-29 and GLTEQ. Statistically significant improvements noted at years 2 and 3 in the Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities were no longer significant at year 4. Other notable changes included significant decreases in MSSE at year 4 when compared with baseline and year 3.

Conclusions: Individuals who participated in a weekly, structured day wellness program showed improvements in self-reported disease impact and physical activity at year 4 vs baseline. Decreases in self-efficacy and social domains were seen, corresponding with disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Further analysis is needed to understand the effects of the pandemic on program participants.