Managing and improving stability in MS – research survey

Research student James Gale is looking for people with MS to take a questionnaire to assist his research into improving stability for MSers

My name is James, and I am a final-year integrated design engineering student at the University of Bath. My final year project focuses on managing stability for people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS).

This project is personally significant to me due to a family connection to MS, offering an opportunity for me to better understand the disease and support my loved one. I hope this research will contribute to MS assistive technology, potentially resulting in a functioning proof-of-concept device.

The project explores the open-ended question of ‘How might we manage stability for patients with progressive multiple sclerosis and similar conditions during motor functions?’ My initial focus has been on reviewing existing technologies to identify their strengths and shortcomings, helping to narrow the scope of my work to areas where improvements can be made.

Having gained ethical approval from the university, I am now moving to the next stage of understanding stability issues from the user’s point of view. This involves conducting what is called a ‘user analysis’, by interviewing individuals with MS-related stability challenges and consulting medical professionals. To reach a wider audience, I have also created an anonymous questionnaire to gather insights.

Specifically, I want to compare how frequently stability issues occur against their impact on quality of life, which will help narrow down my area of focus.

If you or someone you know has experience with MS-related stability challenges, I would be incredibly grateful if you could take 10 minutes to complete my anonymous questionnaire. Your input could make a meaningful difference to my project and the potential solutions it may lead to.

Click here to take the survey.

Researcher James Gale jg2402@bath.ac.uk

Supervisor Dr. Tim Adlam mpstda@bath.ac.uk