A Canadian Adult Spinal Muscular Atrophy Outcome Measures Toolkit: Results of a National Consensus using a Modified Delphi Method.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a rare disease that affects 1 in 11 000 live births. Recent developments in SMA treatments have included new disease-modifying therapies that require high quality data to inform decisions around initiation and continuation of therapy. In Canada, there are no nationally agreed upon outcome measures (OM) used in adult SMA. Standardization of OM is essential to obtain high quality data that is comparable among neuromuscular clinics. OBJECTIVE: To develop a recommended toolkit and timing of OM for assessment of adults with SMA. METHODS: A modified delphi method consisting of 2 virtual voting rounds followed by a virtual conference was utilized with a panel of expert clinicians treating adult SMA across Canada. RESULTS: A consensus-derived toolkit of 8 OM was developed across three domains of function, with an additional 3 optional measures. Optimal assessment frequency is 12 months for most patients regardless of therapeutic access, while patients in their first year of receiving disease-modifying therapy should be assessed more frequently. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of the consensus-derived OM toolkit will improve monitoring and assessment of adult SMA patients, and enrich the quality of real-world evidence. Regular updates to the toolkit must be considered as new evidence becomes available.