RESEARCH INTO PROBLEMATIC ASPECTS OF MEDICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS IN UKRAINE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11603/2312-0967.2026.2.16049Keywords:
multiple sclerosis, pharmaceutical care, martial law, accessibility, role of the pharmacist, medical and pharmaceutical careAbstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive autoimmune disease that requires continuous medical and pharmaceutical care. In the context of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the healthcare system has undergone significant transformations, which has led to the emergence of new barriers in the availability of treatment and support for MS patients. The pharmaceutical component in these conditions is of critical importance for ensuring rational therapy and maintaining patient adherence to treatment.
The aim is to investigate the key problems of obtaining medical and pharmaceutical care by MS patients in Ukraine under martial law and to identify promising areas for strengthening the role of pharmacists in the system of their medical support.
Materials and methods of the study. A questionnaire survey of 121 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of MS from different regions of Ukraine was conducted. For the analysis, descriptive statistics, generalization and systematization of data using Microsoft Excel software were used. The survey covered blocks of questions on the availability of diagnostics, treatment, rehabilitation and pharmaceutical support.
Results. It was found that 68% of respondents are persons of working age up to 40 years. The main barriers at the diagnostic stage were limited access to specialized examinations (MRI) and the difficulty of timely diagnosis. At the treatment stage, 71.3% of respondents indicated interruptions in the supply of medicines within the framework of state programs, and 61.5% – the high cost of therapy. Rehabilitation problems are mainly associated with psychological adaptation (71.3%) and a lack of information about rehabilitation opportunities (50.8%). At the same time, 64.5% of patients confirmed the need for additional support from pharmacists.
Conclusions. It is proven that under martial law, patients face a complex set of organizational, economic, and informational difficulties. The feasibility of implementing a patient-centered model of pharmaceutical care, which involves the active engagement of pharmacists in multidisciplinary teams to provide advisory support, monitor treatment safety, and increase patient adherence to therapy, is substantiated.
References
Arachchige ASPM, El Choueiri J, Pellicanò F, Laurelli F, Alves GAM, Stomeo N. A review of multiple sclerosis: From pathophysiology to latest therapeutic advances. AIMS Neurosci. 2025;12(4):514-38. https://doi.org/10.3934/Neuroscience.2025026.
Shulha OD, Chabanova AS, Kotsiuba OH. Multiple sclerosis in Ukraine. Ukr. Med. Chasopis. 2023;1(153):1-4. https://doi.org/10.32471/umj.1680-3051.153.237930. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32471/umj.1680-3051.153.237930
McGinley MP, Goldschmidt CH, Rae-Grant AD. Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis: A Review. JAMA, 2021;325(8):765-79. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.26858. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.26858
Tkachenko N, Ryzhkova S, Olkhovska A. Analysis of the status of provision of pharmaceutical care to patients with multiple sclerosis in Ukraine. ScienceRise: Pharmaceutical Science, 2025;3(55):4-16. https://doi.org/10.15587/2519-4852.2025.329991. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15587/2519-4852.2025.329991
Seitaridou Y, Chamova T, Kamusheva M. Adherence to disease-modifying therapies among patients with multiple sclerosis in Bulgaria – A real world study. Pharmacia, 2024;71:1-7. https://doi.org/10.3897/pharmacia.71.e117681. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/pharmacia.71.e117681
Filotheidou A, Theodosis-Nobelos P, Triantis C. Role of pharmaceutical care in therapeutic regimens within the community pharmacy. Čes. slov. farm. 2023;72(2):70-8. https://doi.org/10.5817/CSF2023-2-70. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5817/CSF2023-2-70
Urionagüena A, Piquer-Martinez C, Gastelurrutia MÁ, Benrimoj SI, Garcia-Cardenas V, Fernandez-Llimos F, Martinez-Martinez F, Calvo B. Community pharmacy and primary health care – Types of integration and their applicability: A narrative review. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2023;19(3):414-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2022.10.007. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2022.10.007
Thorakkattil SA, Parakkal SA, Salim KTM, Arain S, Krishnan G, Madathil H, et al. Improving patient safety and access to healthcare: The role of pharmacist-managed clinics in optimizing therapeutic outcomes. Explor Res Clin Soc Pharm. 2024;16:100527. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100527. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100527
Cunha Leal MLG, Rodrigues AR, Bell V, Forrester M. Exploring the Evolving Role of Pharmaceutical Services in Community Pharmacies: Insights from the USA, England, and Portugal. Healthcare. 2025;13(15):1786. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13151786. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13151786
Poberezhets V. Healthcare crisis in Ukraine – worrying consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Croatian medical journal, 2022;63(4):315-6. https://doi.org/10.3325/cmj.2022.63.315. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3325/cmj.2022.63.315
Goniewicz K, Burkle FM, Dzhus M, Khorram-Manesh A. Ukraine’s Healthcare Crisis: Sustainable Strategies for Navigating Conflict and Rebuilding for a Resilient Future. Sustainability, 2023;15(15):11602. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511602. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511602
Bainbridge J, Barnhart R, Fuller R, Hellerslia VT, Kidd J et al. The Role of Clinical Pharmacists in Patient-Centric Comprehensive Multiple Sclerosis Care. International journal of MS care, 2024;26(1):1–7. https://doi.org/10.7224/1537-2073.2022-051. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7224/1537-2073.2022-051
Busque G, Lail S, Dewhurst N, Halapy H. Describing and Evaluating the Clinical Pharmacist’s Role in a Canadian Multiple Sclerosis Clinic. The Canadian journal of hospital pharmacy, 2024;77(3):e3555. https://doi.org/10.4212/cjhp.3555. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4212/cjhp.3555
Lakin L, Davis BE, Binns CC, Currie KM, Rensel MR. Comprehensive Approach to Management of Multiple Sclerosis: Addressing Invisible Symptoms – A Narrative Review. Neurology and therapy, 2021;10(1):75-98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40120-021-00239-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40120-021-00239-2
Rivera VM. Multiple Sclerosis: An Ethnically Diverse Disease with Worldwide Equity Challenges Accessing Care. Neurology International, 2026;18(1):2. https://doi.org/10.3390/neurolint18010002. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/neurolint18010002
Arachchige ASPM, El Choueiri J, Pellicanò F, Laurelli F, Alves GAM, Stomeo N. A review of multiple sclerosis: From pathophysiology to latest therapeutic advances. AIMS Neurosci. 2025;12(4):514-38. https://doi.org/10.3934/Neuroscience.2025026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3934/Neuroscience.2025026
Rieckmann P, Centonze D, Elovaara I, Giovannoni G, Havrdová E, Kesselring J, et al. Unmet needs, burden of treatment, and patient engagement in multiple sclerosis: A combined perspective from the MS in the 21st Century Steering Group. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2018;19:153-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2017.11.013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2017.11.013
Soria C, Prieto L, Lázaro E, Ubeda A. Factors Associated with Therapeutic Adherence in Multiple Sclerosis in Spain. Patient preference and adherence, 2023;17:679–688. https://doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S401962. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S401962
Maristany AJ, Sa BC, Murray C, Subramaniam AB, Oldak SE. Psychiatric Manifestations of Neurological Diseases: A Narrative Review. Cureus, 2024;16(7):e64152. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.64152. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.64152
Faraclas E. Interventions to Improve Quality of Life in Multiple Sclerosis: New Opportunities and Key Talking Points. Degenerative neurological and neuromuscular disease, 2023; 13:55–68. https://doi.org/10.2147/DNND.S395733. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/DNND.S395733
Waszyk-Nowaczyk M, Guzenda W, Dragun P, Olsztyńska L, Liwarska J, Michalak M, et al. Interdisciplinary Cooperation between Pharmacists and Nurses-Experiences and Expectations. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022;19(18):11713. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811713. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811713
Rahayu SA, Widianto S, Defi IR, Abdulah R. Role of Pharmacists in the Interprofessional Care Team for Patients with Chronic Diseases. Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare, 2021;14:1701-10. https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S309938. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S309938
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The authors who publish their materials in this journal agree with the following terms:
- Authors reserve the right to authorship of their work and assign to the journal the right to first publish this work under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which allows other persons to freely distribute the published work with a mandatory reference to the authors of original work and the first publication of work in this journal
. - Authors have the right to make independent extra-exclusive work agreements in the form they are published by this journal (for example, posting work in an electronic repository of an institution or publishing as part of a monograph), provided that the link to the first publication of the work in this journal is maintained.
Journal policy allows and encourages publication of manuscripts on the Internet (for example, in institutions repositories or on personal websites), both before the publication of this manuscript and during its editorial review, as it contributes to productive scientific discussion and positively affects the efficiency and dynamics of the citation of the published work (see The Effect of Open Access).
