In August 2021, Overcoming MS ran our first Engagement Survey inviting 'OMSers' to take part and have their say. We had a fantastic result with over 1,367 responses from our Community including people living with MS, their friends and family and also healthcare professionals, thank you so much to everyone who took part. 

What did the data tell us about our OMS Community? 

Some headlines from the results include: 

  • 62% are living with RRMS and 30% with PMS with 29% of people receiving their MS diagnosis in the last 4 years.

  • 38% had discussed healthy lifestyle choices with their healthcare professional, with 62% saying they felt confident in doing so, however 34% had low confidence.

  • 37% have been following the OMS program for 3+years, 22% between 1-3 years and 26% had started following the OMS program in the last 12 months.

  • 51% of people follow the OMS program fully or on most days.

  • Meditation is the biggest challenge in following the OMS program. Challenges of following the program differed across the geographies. 

  • The biggest reasons for contacting Overcoming MS was for more information on how to follow the program, how to manage their MS and learn more about MS research.

  • 68% reported feeling very informed about the OMS program, with 65% reporting they felt confident in their understanding of the OMS program. 

  • 78% are highly likely to recommend the OMS program to others. 

  • Engagement with Circles overall is low, however a quarter of respondents are a member of a Circle.

The OMS team are very grateful for all the feedback and insight we have received from our OMS Community and we have been busy reviewing and analysing these results. We have been working on turning this feedback into positive, tangible actions that we will take into 2022 plans and beyond. 

We kickstarted this process at the Ask Aaron webinar earlier this month due to looking at the feedback regarding contact with healthcare professionals, and the steps OMS are taking to help support 'OMSers' have these important discussions with their healthcare professional.  

What's next?

We plan to share with you our plans for 2022 onwards when we return in the new year, starting off with a webinar hosted by Grazina Berry CEO, who will walk you through the results but more importantly talk about how we plan to support you, our OMS Community to live well with MS.