Care for patients with Parkinson’s disease is best delivered using a multidisciplinary, patient-centered approach. The Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at UF Health has long been at the forefront of this approach, highlighted in a 2018 JAMA Neurology Viewpoint article titled, Neuroscience Service and Science Hub Model.
In two new articles, Michael S. Okun, M.D., executive director of the Fixel Institute and chair of UF neurology, and expert collaborators from across the globe stress the importance of this approach and expand on its applications.
In a Personal View article published in The Lancet Neurology in May, Okun and co-authors discuss an integrated care concept with a patient-centered perspective that includes evidence-based solutions to improve health care delivery for patients with chronic neurological diseases, using Parkinson’s disease as a model.
“We anticipate that this integrated care model will improve the quality of life for patients, create a positive working environment for health care professionals, and be affordable,” the authors stated.
In an article published in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease in June, Okun and co-authors provide recommendations to improve multidisciplinary care for patients with Parkinson’s disease.
“These recommendations were developed based on practice-based evidence, by using experiences from 20 well-known expert centers with specific investments in multidisciplinary care in PD,” the authors said.