None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Parkinson’s disease is the fastest-growing brain disorder in the world. It can greatly affect people’s quality of life and put strain on carers. We still don’t know if a team-based rehabilitation approach works better than standard medical care. This small study (from May 2022 to November 2024) compared two approaches: the best medical treatment plus a team-based rehabilitation program, and the best medical treatment on its own.
Interventions
Intervention group: Combined multidisciplinary allied health input: Participants received 1:1 therapy and input tailored to each individual. Participants were assessed at an initial needs assessment prior to commencing multidisciplinary program and referred to any discipline (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, dietetic and social work) as required. Cross referrals to other disciplines would occur during the program if subsequent need was identified. Therapy could be in the fo
Intervention group: Combined multidisciplinary allied health input: Participants received 1:1 therapy and input tailored to each individual. Participants were assessed at an initial needs assessment prior to commencing multidisciplinary program and referred to any discipline (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, dietetic and social work) as required. Cross referrals to other disciplines would occur during the program if subsequent need was identified. Therapy could be in the form of education, strategies, exercises or aids/ equipment. Therapy will be delivered face to face in an outpatient setting at a hospital. Appointments are routinely 60 minutes duration and the number and frequency of appointments is determined by the functional goals identified in the initial assessment. The maximal number of appointments for any patient is x4 for each discipline. Patients may see one or two different disciplines each week dependent on patient/ caregiver and clinician appointment availability. Attendance to appointments will be collected, and each discipline will monitor adherence to interventions provided. Control group: Best medical input only: Best medical therapy is defined in this study as usual medical care from a specialised neurologist; pharmacological (oral, subcutaneous, intestinal gel) and DBS. The type and frequency of therapy is determined by the specialist neurologist to maximise function and quality of life. This is delivered face to face in an outpatient setting at a hospital. Participants in this group will be measured at baseline and then 6 months post initial assessment. Appointments are routinely 30mins duration. Participants who are stable and require no medication changes over a 6 month period were invited to participate in the medical only (control) arm of the study. Those that required multidisciplinary intervention were invited to participate in the intervention arm of the study.
Sponsors
Eastern health
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Participants were required to have a diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and be medically stable. Participants of all ages were invited to participate and required a Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) of 24 or above. Participants who had received multidisciplinary allied health input in the past 4 months from any service were excluded as the impact of previous strategy training might influence their results. Patients were able to continue any self-management programs such as group exercise etc. All participants in this study required someone who identified as a carer. Caregivers were defined as an individual who provided care and support to the participant on a daily basis. For the medical input only cohort, patients were deemed eligible if they had stable symptoms and no significant change to their pharmacological management as these factors could impact their HRQoL. For the combined multidisciplinary allied health input cohort, patients were deemed eligible if requirement for allied health input was identified by the attending specialist neurologist and/or Parkinson’s disease nurse consultant e.g. dysphagia requiring speech pathology assessment.
Exclusion criteria
Diagnosis of Atypical Parkinson's or Parkinsonism Participants with no caregivers
Outcome results
None listed