From the Guidelines
A center of excellence for Parkinson's disease should be a multidisciplinary facility with expertise in movement disorders, providing comprehensive care, including advanced diagnostic capabilities, medication management, and specialized therapies like deep brain stimulation (DBS) 1. To determine the best center for Parkinson's disease care, it's essential to consider the quality of care, patient outcomes, and the presence of a multidisciplinary team. The key components of a center of excellence for Parkinson's disease include:
- Neurologists specializing in movement disorders
- Physical therapists
- Occupational therapists
- Speech therapists
- Mental health professionals
- Social workers These specialists work together to provide personalized treatment plans, addressing both motor symptoms (tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia) and non-motor symptoms (cognitive changes, depression, sleep disorders) of Parkinson's disease 1. When looking for a center of excellence, patients should consider factors such as:
- Access to clinical trials
- Expertise in medication management (including medications like levodopa/carbidopa, dopamine agonists, MAO-B inhibitors, and COMT inhibitors)
- Specialized therapies like deep brain stimulation (DBS)
- Educational resources and support groups for patients and their caregivers A center of excellence should prioritize a multidisciplinary approach, as Parkinson's disease is a complex neurodegenerative disorder affecting multiple body systems, requiring coordinated care from various specialists to effectively manage symptoms and maintain quality of life 1.
From the Research
Centers of Excellence for Parkinson's Disease
There are no specific mentions of a "center of excellence" for Parkinson's disease in the provided studies. However, the studies do discuss the importance of multidisciplinary care and team-based approaches to managing Parkinson's disease.
Multidisciplinary Care
- A multidisciplinary approach is thought to be the best way to manage the motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease 2, 3, 4, 5.
- This approach involves a team of specialists, including neurologists, physical and occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, psychologists, and other medical professionals 2, 3.
- Integrated multidisciplinary care has been shown to offer small benefits to patients with Parkinson's disease, although these benefits may disappear after correction for baseline disease severity 4.
- Patient-centric care can be achieved by shifting multidisciplinary team care to local community settings and into patients' homes 5.
Models of Care
- Various models of multidisciplinary care have been implemented, including community network-based models, day-hospital models, academic clinic-based models, and intensive inpatient rehabilitation models 3.
- Telemedicine can be a viable option to bring the multidisciplinary team closer to the patient 5.
- Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary management can be alternative options to deliver patient-centric care in Parkinson's disease 5.