The degree of disability resulting from a disease such as MS is recorded with varying degrees of accuracy. Therefore, conclusions based on such records are often inadequate and cannot be compared with each other. The International Federation of Multiple Sclerosis Societies (IFMSS) has therefore installed a working group with the task of producing a simple standardized protocol of examinations which would allow the disability of MS patients to be recorded in different clinical settings. This would lead to easier comparison of results of examinations and data from various sources. It is, for example, a prerequisite for epidemiological studies.

The entire protocol is constructed in such a way that it may be dealt with by electronic data processing. It contains quantified findings of neurological examinations in various systems which may be involved in MS (impairment). Furthermore, the degree of individual disability is recorded on a scale of ability or disability. Data for these two sections of the protocol are collected by physicians. Certain tasks important in daily life are also quantified, producing data on “incapacity.” Finally, environmental status and social consequences of the disease are described. Careful evaluation of this protocol in various institutions has proved it to be easy to handle and to produce useful data, although it has been criticized (Willoughby and Paty 1988). Possibly a modified self-administered version of the minimal record of disability may represent a reliable instrument for obtaining a comprehensive profile of patients' abilities (Solari et al. 1993).