Improving the quality of life for people with ALS: The challenge ahead

In tandem with recent progress in basic and clinical research in amyotrophi c lateral sclerosis (ALS), clinical care and management has improved substa ntially, Key processes and practices have been established and are specifie d in current ALS Practice Parameters; the international ALS databases ident ify the current status of care and management given by physicians. A number of prospective clinical management research studies are now well underway to establish the effective utility of enteral feeding, assistive ventilator y device, and exercise in patients with ALS. One of the main research objec tives in the clinical management of ALS is to improve patients' quality of life. For patients with ALS, only comprehensive multidisciplinary care can effectively improve their overall quality of life from diagnosis to death. This paper will briefly review a number of factors that must be considered if we are to improve the quality of life for these patients, including comp rehensive medical management, patient education, the importance of hope, th e role of the health care professional, and the patients themselves.