MS UNIT - FROM CONCEPT TO PRACTICE: ANALYSIS OF DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, FATIGUE, QUALITY OF LIFE AND PERCEPTION OF DISEASE OF PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS FROM A PRIVATE MS UNIT IN RIO DE JANEIRO – A NURSE’S PERSPECTIVE

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorders that affects the Central Nervous System (CNS). MS-Units have been proposed to better address patients needs under multidisciplinary care. The present study aims to prospectively follow-up patients in a private MS-Unit in Rio de Janeiro, focusing on the role of the Nurse Navigator caring for MS-patients. The nurse will be trained by an experienced neuroimmunologist and will be responsible for a specialized a nurse consulting exclusively for MS patients. During this consult, the nurse will apply clinical tests for MS, as the 25-foot-walk, 9-hole-peg test, as well as collect data from multiple validated medical scales evaluating, respectively: depression, anxiety, fatigue, quality of life. More, the nurse will attest comprehension and educate patients about their diseases. All data will allow us to estabilish a registry of patients inside the RedCap database. This is a prospective cross-sectional study with a duration of twenty-four(24) months, All patients will undergo anamnesis, physical and neurological examination, performed by a specialist neurologist. Patients will also undergo MRI examinations of the brain, cervical and dorsal spine, routine blood tests, and cerebrospinal fluid examination for further evaluation. Clinical phenotypes and neurological manifestations are related to the scales under study. This study aims to demonstrate the effectiveness and quality of the Nurse Navigator in the processes of application, data collection and maintenance of this service in a private MS-Unit in Rio de Janeiro.