Merck Serono Launches MSdialog New, First of its Kind Software to Engage People with MS

A new web and app-based software solution, launched in the UK today on World MS Day, will allow physicians and nurses to monitor  treatment of patients taking MS disease- modifying treatment Rebif by collecting injection history through the new RebiSmart 2.0  electronic autoinjector.  

MSdialog is Merck Serono’s innovative web-based software system for patients with relapsing- remitting multiple sclerosis receiving disease-modifying treatment Rebif® (interferon beta-1a).

MSdialog aims to optimise the time physicians and nurses have with their patients by focusing on relevant information and building an accurate picture of the patients’ health status over time.

“Engaging and empowering patients through knowledge and technology may have the potential to improve outcomes by allowing patients to help monitor their own disease,” said Dr Gavin Giovannoni, professor of Neurology at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. “Innovations such as RebiSmart 2.0 & the MSdialog platform can do just that for multiple sclerosis; patients using these technologies will be more in touch with their own disease, which may lead to improved adherence and possibly even to improved outcomes and cost-savings.”

Consenting patients using RebiSmart 2.0 can upload their injection history wirelessly from their home, without the need for an internet connection, to MSdialog which can be accessed by their healthcare professional. The patient can complete periodic health report questionnaires based on published instruments and standard scales, such as the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Inventory (MSQLI)[1] and the Multiple Sclerosis International Quality of Life (MusiQoL) questionnaire.[2,3] These are completed via a patient app or website and allow patients to track their health status over time.  

Del Thomas, MS Clinical Nurse Specialist, Wye Valley NHS Trust, remarked: “The fact that MSdialog allows patients to regularly generate their own health reports will be an invaluable aid in vastly improving the conversations between MS nurses and their patients. It means that when patients come in for appointments, which can be 6 months or up to a year apart, we can easily and accurately see what concerns affect each patient the most. They don’t have to rely on memory alone. These could be concerns such as pain, mood, memory, or fatigue, as well as their injection history. This allows us to see a much clearer picture of their disease and really focus to optimise the consultation time together.” 

Patients who use MSdialog can choose to receive email or SMS reminders to take their medication, and physicians can use MSdialog to generate reports and send email messages to patients and nurses. MSdialog can also be combined with Merck Serono’s patient support programme so that all healthcare professionals involved in the patient’s care can have visibility of the patients’ progress enabling an even more collaborative and holistic approach to care.  

References

[1] The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers Health Services Research Subcommittee. MSQLI Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Inventory: A User's Manual. National Multiple Sclerosis Society. 1997.

[2] Simeoni M, Auquier P, Fernandez O, et al. Validation of the Multiple Sclerosis International Quality of Life questionnaire. Mult Scler. 2008 Mar;14(2):219-30.

[3] Fernández O, Baumstarck-Barrau K, Simeoni MC, et al. Patient characteristics and determinants of quality of life in an international population with multiple sclerosis: assessment using the MusiQoL and SF-36 questionnaires. Mult Scler. 2011 Oct;17(10):1238-49.