Standing frame intervention improves life for people with MS - Jul 2019

A new study has shown that people in the advanced stage of multiple sclerosis (MS) experience significant improvements in movement and balance thanks to a specialised standing frame. The study in people with progressive MS, involving the University of Exeter Medical School and led by the University of Plymouth, also showed that the intervention appeared cost-effective, leading researchers to conclude that it could be routinely implemented within MS care throughout the UK. The study was published in The Lancet Neurology. The study, called Standing Up in Multiple Sclerosis (SUMS), was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Research for Patient Benefit Programme, and sponsored by University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust.

Dr Annie Hawton, Senior Research Fellow in Health Economics, said: “Our analyses suggest that the standing frame intervention costs approximately £14,700 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). This is below the of £20,000–£30,000 per QALY threshold set by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), for interventions to be recommended for funding on the NHS. “This indicates that providing standing frames to people with progressive MS is likely to be a ‘cost-effective’ treatment strategy”.

Further details: Freeman J, Jones B, Creanor S, Jarrett L, Hawton A, Dennett R, Zajicek J. Assessment of a home-based standing frame programme in people with progressive multiple sclerosis (SUMS): a pragmatic, multi-centre, randomised, controlled trial and cost-effectiveness analysis. Lancet Neurology 2019 Aug;18(8):736-747.

Date: 31 July 2019