Patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures are being used more frequently in epidemiological studies, health service research and in clinical trials to evaluate therapeutic interventions from the patient's perspective. In MS, where evaluations of treatments are becoming increasingly important, outcome measures that are rigorous and appropriate to patients are needed. This article examines the value of PRO measures in MS and the criteria of evaluating such measures, and provides a brief description of MS-specific PRO measures that are currently available.