Accuracy and feasibility of BICAMS when scored by MS Nurses
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Accuracy of Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS when scored by MS nurses and impact on MS nurses’ and MS patients’ perception of cognitive impairment.
IRAS ID
312888
Contact name
Hannah Potticary
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Holloway, University of London
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 1 days
Research summary
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a lifelong condition that can affect the brain and spinal cord. More than 130,000 people in the UK have MS and it is most commonly diagnosed in people in their 20’s and 30’s. Amongst a range of symptoms, including problems with vision, balance and mood, people with MS may also experience problems with their cognition. Cognition describes mental processes such as thinking, understanding, learning, and remembering information. Cognitive impairment is recognised as a prevalent and debilitating symptom of MS and is reported to have a negative impact on quality of life (Benedict et al., 2020), activities of daily living (Gil-González et al., 2020), employment (Clemens and Langdon, 2018), relationships (Halstead et al., 2021) and symptom management (Chen et al., 2020). The Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS) is a short tool used to assess problems with cognition in people with MS. It can be completed with various healthcare professionals, such as nurses, however little is known about how accurate these scores are. To assess the accuracy of scores, we will compare scores of BICAMS by MS nurses with scores by a trainee clinical psychologist. We will also explore the MS nurses’ and MS patients’ experiences of completing BICAMS and how this impacts their understanding of cognition.
REC name
London - London Bridge Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0452
Date of REC Opinion
26 Aug 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion