AccScience Publishing / EJMO / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/EJMO025460481
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Ľudmila Majerníková
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REVIEW ARTICLE

Education and self-management support in patients with multiple sclerosis: A review of structured programs

Ľudmila Majerníková1* ,  Andrea Obročníková1
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1 Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Care Professions, University of Prešov, Prešov, Slovaki
EJMO, 025460481 https://doi.org/10.36922/EJMO025460481
Received: 13 November 2025 | Revised: 29 January 2026 | Accepted: 3 June 2026 | Published online: 7 July 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune-mediated neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system that substantially affects the quality of life of young adults and requires a comprehensive, long-term management approach. Patient education is a key component of MS care, supporting disease understanding, active participation in treatment, and the development of self-management skills.

Objectives: This scoping review analyzed and compared available educational programs for people with MS with respect to their objectives, methodologies, patient outcomes, and levels of scientific evidence.

Methods: A targeted literature search was conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases covering the period from 2010 to 2025. Studies evaluating structured educational programs for adult individuals with MS were included. Individual, group-based, online, and hybrid interventions were considered. Data were extracted and synthesized descriptively.

Results: Five main types of educational programs were identified and analyzed: Overcoming MS, MS: Take Control, Ready for MS, E-Ready for MS, and the MS Online Course. The reviewed programs demonstrated positive effects on quality of life, psychological well-being, fatigue management, reduction of depressive symptoms, and improvement of self-management skills. Among the programs, Overcoming MS demonstrated the strongest level of scientific evidence, combining lifestyle modification, psychological support, and structured education.

Conclusion: Educational programs are an important tool for supporting self-management, treatment adherence, and quality of life in people with MS. Further development in clinical practice is recommended through the standardization of outcome measures, integration of lifestyle-based interventions, and expansion of research on hybrid educational approaches with long-term outcome monitoring.

Keywords
Multiple sclerosis
Educational programs
Patient education
Self-management
Quality of life
Scoping review
Funding
This study was supported by the project KEGA- 015PU-4/2024 entitled “Application of new methods in teaching of future health professionals for improving self-management of patients towards their health.”
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.
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Eurasian Journal of Medicine and Oncology, Electronic ISSN: 2587-196X Print ISSN: 2587-2400, Published by AccScience Publishing
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