MS Trust Conference seminar on Domestic violence and abuse in MS

Kharis Hutchison, Sue Britt and Professor Helen Ford had been invited to run a seminar at the MS Trust conference this week, which was well received and attended by 50 conference delegates.

The seminar presented the findings from Kharis’ research into the DVA experiences of women with MS and Sue’s research exploring the experiences and views of MS healthcare professionals regarding their role in DVA support. Through this, we provided information for healthcare professionals to support them to recognise DVA among people with MS and to take appropriate action.

Helen Ford, Sue Britt and Kharis Hutchison presenting at the MS Trust Conference

Since this was a presentation connecting the two pieces of research, we had created a composite case study from the experiences of participants in both studies, which also aided in protecting the confidentiality of our participants. The case study explored the variety of forms DVA can take, the impact this can have on well-being and MS, and presented an interaction between the composite participant and a healthcare professional, which provided an opportunity to engage with the audience about positive practice.

The discussion stemming from the presentation was extensive, demonstrating how interested the MS healthcare professionals are in this issue. It was very exciting to hear positive feedback regarding the toolkit to help MS healthcare professionals, which is currently being finalised, with the audience providing essential insight into the difficulties they can experience and what they would like from the toolkit.