The Effect of Rehabilitation Exercise Program on Health Status Outcomes of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

: Multiple sclerosis affects most aspects of life of both the patients and their families. The complexity of the disease, the difficulty in determining the appropriate treatment and a wide range of symptoms call for a comprehensive approach to the patient, which would involve both pharmacology and rehabilitation interventions. Objective: Evaluate the effect of rehabilitation exercise program on health status outcome of patients with multiple sclerosis. Setting: The study was conducted at the Neuropsychiatric Inpatient and outpatient clinics of Al Hadara Alexandria University Hospital. Subjects: A convenience sample of 60 patients determined to have multiple sclerosis. They were sequentially divided into 2 equal groups; the first was the control groups which comprised 30 patients and exposed to routine hospital care only, the second was the study group and comprised 30 patients and they received the rehabilitation exercise program. Tools: Two tools were used Tool I: Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). , Tool II Functional Assessment of Multiple Sclerosis (FAMS) (version4), Results: the study revealed that 63.3%, 60% consecutively) of the patients within control group reported mild overall functional status pre and post exercise rehabilitation program with no statistically significant difference. whereas, 40% of the patients within study group reported moderate overall functional pre exercise rehabilitation program which is increased to 83.3% post exercise rehabilitation program with highly significant difference (FET=4.271, p > 0.001). Also highly significant difference was observed between control and study group patients only post application of exercise rehabilitation program (FET= 31.024, p > 0.001 * ). Also it was noticed that: half (50%) of patients within the study group reported moderate mobility pre exercise rehabilitation program which is increased to 63.3% post exercise rehabilitation program with highly significant difference (FET=4.596, p>0.001*). Furthermore, it was observed that, near half (46.7%, 46.7% consecutively) reported worse to moderate symptoms pre exercise rehabilitation program which is changed to better 66.7% post exercise rehabilitation program with highly significant difference (FET=3.576, p>0.001*). Additionally, half of the patients (53.3%) within study group reported that their emotional wellbeing is worse pre exercise rehabilitation program as compared to the results post exercise rehabilitation program as 80% of the study group reported better emotional wellbeing with highly significant. Moreover more than two third (66.7%, 76.7% consecutively) of the patients within study group reported better family and social well-being pre and post exercise rehabilitation program with no statistically significant difference. Conclusion: applying the rehabilitation exercise program had statistically significant improvement of patients’ health status outcome. Recommendations: In service training program should be carried out for nurses working in MS unit about the different types of exercises that perform especially to patients with MS