O'Nions, Elizabeth, Lewer, Dan, Cheung, Rachel W., Da Silva, Ellen, Das, Joyutpal, Dobson, Ruth, Keravica, Radoš, Moyo, Faith, Rog, David, Russell, Melanie, Spilker, Cord, Tallantyre, Emma  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3760-6634 and Ford, Helen L.
2026.
EQUITY-MS: Evaluating the quality of investigation and treatment of multiple sclerosis using data from five specialist neurology centres in the United Kingdom: study protocol.
BMJ Open
16
(9)
, e114912.
10.1136/bmjopen-2025-114912
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Abstract
Introduction: The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people live and the systems around them that shape these conditions. Social determinants of health may affect diagnosis and treatment for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) even in countries with universal healthcare systems. This study will investigate whether a person’s age, sex and/or gender, living in a more socioeconomically deprived area, and being of a minoritised ethnicity impacts access to a diagnosis of MS and disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) for people living in the catchments of specialist neurology centres with a total estimated catchment population of approximately 7 million people in England and Wales. Methods and analysis: EQUITY-MS is a multi-centre retrospective cohort study using routinely collected healthcare data. Study participants are people aged 16 and above who received a new diagnosis of MS between 1 Jan 2018 and 31 Dec 2024 while living within the catchment of five specialist neurology centres (located in Leeds, Bradford, Greater Manchester, Cardiff, and East London). Data will be collected from patients’ hospital records by clinical teams. The primary outcome is the length of time between MS diagnosis and prescription of any disease modifying treatment. Secondary outcomes are prescriptions of a high-efficacy disease modifying treatment and the duration between patient-reported symptom onset and MS diagnosis. We plan to adjust for clinical and demographic factors that could impact prescribing decisions. Ethics and dissemination: The study was approved by the North West – Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee (NHS) (25/NW/0184) on 14/08/2025. Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and summaries will be provided to local MS societies and disseminated via the study website (https://bradfordresearch.nhs.uk/bradford-centre-for-health-data-science/equity-ms/).
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Publication |
| Status: | Published |
| Schools: | Schools > Medicine |
| Publisher: | BMJ Publishing Group |
| Date of First Compliant Deposit: | 19 June 2026 |
| Date of Acceptance: | 19 June 2026 |
| Last Modified: | 09 Sep 2026 14:17 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/187660 |
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