Objective: To develop a communication calendar (CC) to facilitate information exchange about outpatients treated by various therapists in order to optimize interdisciplinary therapy of Parkinson’s Disease (PD).

Background: Increasing complexity of therapeutic strategies for PD requires interdisciplinary therapies involving various health professionals and physicians. Coordinating and synchronising all involved therapists is a challenge.

Methods: The Communication Calendar for Interdisciplinary Therapy of Parkinson’s Disease (CC-PD) was developed by IAB – Interdisziplinärer Arbeitskreis Bewegungsstörungen, an interdisciplinary movement disorders special interest group of health professionals and physicians. In CC-PD health professionals and physicians document together with the patient relevant therapy goals based on activity and participation. These goals refer to Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). Goals related to activity may include improvement of speech, turning in bed, walking, dexterity, postural stability, dysphagia or freezing during special daily activities. Goals related to structural body function may be improvement of balance, straightening up of body, cognition or reduction of pain, rigor or hallucinations.

The CC-PD contains information about involved therapists, a brief introduction and 2 pages each monitoring one week and one month of PD therapy. The weekly overview page documents therapies, contacts with each therapist, patient’s mood, treatment goals and their attainment on the Goal Attainment Scale (GAS). The monthly overview shows the UPDRS goals sorted in topics treated by the therapists involved and the GAS outcome. Each CC-PD will be presented by the patient to all involved therapists. An electronic version is planned.

Results: The CC-PD development project was well supported by members of IAB branches in Hamburg, Hannover and Berlin. Preliminary CC-PD versions were tested under practise conditions during the last 2 years. The CC-PD optimizes and structures the essential information transfer between health professionals and physicians in an outpatient setting.

Conclusions: The CC-PD allows easy and concise information transfer about interdisciplinary outpatient therapy of Parkinson’s Disease.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/communication-calendar-for-interdisciplinary-therapy-of-parkinsons-disease/