BU researchers nominated for national award

BU research

Professor Peter Thomas and Dr Sarah Thomas from the Bournemouth University Clinical Research Unit (BUCRU) are part of a team nominated for a prestigious MS Society Award.

They were one of three research teams to reach the finals of the MS Research of the Year Award for their FACETS research. FACETS is a fatigue management programme for people with MS which incorporates ‘energy effectiveness techniques’ alongside cognitive behavioural strategies to teach helpful ways of thinking about fatigue.

They studied 164 people with MS and reported 40% of participants who received FACETS in addition to their routine care had a meaningful improvement in fatigue levels, compared with 19% who received routine care only. The FACETS programme is now being delivered by healthcare professionals across the UK and could help thousands of people manage fatigue.

The awards ceremony was held in London on Monday 6th October, and hosted by radio presenter Scott Mills. Other awards presented on the day included MS Employer of the Year, MS Volunteer of the Year, MS Young Person of the Year and MS Carer of the Year.

Although narrowly missing out on the award, they were extremely grateful to have their research recognised. On being nominated for the award they said, “Our research programme started 12 years ago so this has been a considerable journey.  We feel privileged to have had the opportunity to conduct this research and it’s been an extremely rewarding experience.

“Fatigue is a huge issue for people with MS and so we hope that recognition of our research will help to increase awareness of this very common MS symptom and will highlight the debilitating impact it has on people’s lives. It’s extremely important to expand and improve services and interventions available to people with MS as these can help people to negotiate the challenges of the condition and improve day-to-day quality of life.

“Our research has demonstrated that FACETS reduces people’s fatigue and increases quality of life and that these effects can last a long time. We greatly appreciate the backing of the MS Society and the support they have provided in rolling out the FACETS programme across the UK.”

For more information about the MS Society Awards visit http://www.mssociety.org.uk/about-us/ms-awards.

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