Abstract
Parkinson’s disease is a complex neurodegenerative disease that can be best treated with a multi-disciplinary care approach. Building care networks has been shown as a useful tool to facilitate the integration of care services and improve outcomes for patients and care providers. However, experiences and practices relating to building a network are very limited in the field of Parkinson’s disease. This paper portrays existing Parkinson networks in Germany. With the help of a standardized template, description of networks and their building-blocks, so-called modules, were collected from all over Germany. Modules were rated in terms of their expected benefit and the required effort when implementing them, with the help of an expert survey. The rating showed that some modules were perceived as more important than others, but all modules were recognized as beneficial for patients and care providers. Overall, the German experience shows that building a Parkinson network facilitates the integration of care and provides a benefit to all stakeholders involved.
Highlights
Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability in the world, among which Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the fastest-growing [1]
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The modules that we have presented may be seen as a learning opportunity for existing and future Parkinson networks
Summary
Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability in the world, among which Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the fastest-growing [1]. In Germany, PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and an increasing prevalence is observable [2]. The Germany society is aging and age-related diseases like PD will continue to increase [4]. PD is characterized by a progressive course, which includes complex and often changing motor and non-motor symptoms, such as fatigue, depression and autonomic dysfunction [6]. Patients require the long-term, comprehensive provision of care in outpatient and stationary settings consisting of medical management and non-pharmacological measures, including physiotherapy or occupational therapy [4]. In Germany, PD treatment is mostly limited to symptomatic therapy [7]. Treatment plans must be adapted continuously to the patients’ disease progression and symptoms [7]. PD requires accessible, long-term, multi-disciplinary, patient-centered treatment and healthcare support [8,9,10]
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