Working with MS during COVID-19
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Post-COVID-19 implications for the employment of people with Multiple Sclerosis
IRAS ID
290145
Contact name
Roshan Das Nair
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 0 days
Research summary
Research summary-
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common chronic neurological condition affecting young adults. Currently, MS affects over 130,000 people in the UK, with women two times more likely to develop MS than men. People are usually diagnosed between 20 to 40 years of age, the prime working years of an adult.
The range of physical, cognitive, and psychological problems that people with MS can present increases the personal and professional challenges of people with MS. In fact, there is a direct relationship between years with MS and unemployment. Usually, fewer than 50% of people with MS remain at work after 10 years of diagnosis and decreasing to 20-40% after 15 years.The coronavirus or Covid-19 is an infectious disease that causes respiratory problems. The majority of people develop a moderate illness, but for others such as the elderly or people with underlying health conditions, the consequences can be serious or fatal.
At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK Government identified sections of the population considered to be at high risk for the virus and consequence of the virus. This group includes approximately 1.8 million people that were asked to shield for twelve weeks from March 2020. Shielding refers to protecting people who have a medical condition, by remaining at home and reducing the chances of being infected with Covid-19 as they are more vulnerable to get infected. This group includes people with a weak immune system such as MS.
In an attempt to understand the current employment needs of people with MS and obtain further information about their vocational needs, we developed a cross-sectional survey to capture the change in employment needs of people with MS during Covid-19. The findings from the survey will be complemented with a semi-structured interview.
Summary of results-
Background: The spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) led to more than half of the working population in the UK being unable to work. This study aims to understand the employment needs and experiences of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) working in the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic.Methods: Multiple methods involving an online brief survey and follow-up interviews with people with MS who were employed before the pandemic (March 2020).
Results: 101 eligible participants completed the online survey, and 15 the follow-up interview. Survey data indicated that the work experience of people with MS improved during the pandemic because they were allowed to work from home. However, participants experienced increased feelings of anxiety and loneliness. From the interviews, we extracted five themes: 1) the benefits of working from home; 2) the challenges of working during Covid-19; 3) the relevance of line managers; 4) returning to ‘normality’; and 5) the need for vocational support.
Conclusions: The pandemic showed that flexibility at work (e.g., home working, breaks, flexible working hours) can improve workability and self-perceived productivity in people with MS by facilitating symptom self-management. Future research should explore the support needs of people working remotely and determine whether pandemic-influenced work accommodations are sustained over time.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/YH/0312
Date of REC Opinion
18 Nov 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion