The Dr. Josep Trueta University Hospital of Girona is leading a multicenter study with the goal of adapting and validating, at a national scale, an international questionnaire that reliably measures health literacy in people with multiple sclerosis. This concept refers to the ability of individuals to access, understand, evaluate, and apply health-related information in their daily lives and in making decisions about their health.
Marina González, nurse at the Trueta Hospital and researcher at the Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), is the main driving force behind the project, which is supported by the Department of Health of the Government of Catalonia through a grant under the Strategic Plan for Health Research and Innovation (PERIS / code SLT035/24/000010).
This initiative was recently recognized by the International Organization of Multiple Sclerosis Nurses (IOMSN), the only international organization that specifically awards nursing initiatives in the field of multiple sclerosis. The IOMSN acknowledged the project's relevance and its potential impact on comprehensive disease management from a nursing and person-centered care perspective.
The tool being validated is the Multiple Sclerosis Health Literacy Questionnaire (MSHLQ), specifically designed to assess the health literacy level in this population. It helps identify how individuals access information about their condition, how well they understand it, and how they apply it to better manage their health.
The validation process involves 1,000 people with multiple sclerosis, who were administered the questionnaire to adapt it to the cultural context of Spain. This large sample has been made possible thanks to collaboration with six public healthcare institutions: the Institute of Health Assistance (IAS) and the Figueres Hospital (Fundació Salut Empordà), Gregorio Marañón Hospital and La Princesa University Hospital in Madrid, Valladolid Clinical Hospital, and Virgen de la Arrixaca Hospital in Murcia.
Having a validated tool like the MSHLQ is especially relevant as it enables, on the one hand, the planning of health education interventions tailored to each patient’s characteristics and profile, and on the other hand, the evaluation of whether these strategies are effective in informing, educating, and engaging patients in their self-care. “It allows us to detect the specific needs of each person and adjust our actions accordingly. This contributes to more personalized and effective care,” says Marina González.
The project also aims to empower people with multiple sclerosis, strengthen their autonomy in decision-making, and optimize the use of healthcare resources. Moreover, this tool is expected to open new lines of research and reinforce the health system's commitment to one of today’s major challenges: improving the population’s health literacy.
In this context, the validation process is expected to be completed in the coming months, so the questionnaire can be made available to centers wishing to incorporate it into their care portfolio for people with multiple sclerosis.
