Strategies for assessing health economic and quality of life outcomes in multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis is a disabling disease that, until recently, had few effective treatment options. With the advent of new medical technologies to treat multiple sclerosis has come the need to assess the long-term clinical, economic and quality of life trade-offs associated with these treatments to inform medical decision-making, as well as equitable resource allocation. Assessing these trade-offs in multiple sclerosis is particularly challenging. Therefore, considering an appropriate evaluation strategy prior to initiating a health outcomes study in multiple sclerosis is essential. This review presents an overview of multiple sclerosis, the challenges facing researchers and offers strategies and a framework for assessing economic and quality of life outcomes in patients with multiple sclerosis.