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WECARE APD: Assessing a Single Multidisciplinary Team Visit for Atypical Parkinsonian Disorders
Sponsor: Western University
Summary
Atypical Parkinsonian disorders (APD) are a group of brain disorders that look like Parkinson's disease but progress faster and don't respond well to common treatments like levodopa. These conditions include Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), Corticobasal Syndrome (CBS), and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA). Caring for APD patients is especially challenging because the symptoms worsen quickly and require multiple specialists, often leading to separate visits with different doctors and therapists. This not only increases the burden on patients and caregivers but also results in high medical costs. Despite the serious impact of APD, there is no proven care model that significantly improves the quality of life for patients and their caregivers. To address this, the investigator team has created a novel type of clinic that brings together a team of specialists in a shared appointment to provide comprehensive care in one visit. This study aims to test whether an early visit with this team, in addition to regular medical care, can improve quality of life, help patients manage their symptoms better, and reduce the stress on caregivers. The investigators will conduct a six-month study with two groups: one will receive the multidisciplinary care visit right away, while the other will continue with regular care and receive the visit after six months. Patients and caregivers will fill out questionnaires about their well-being at the beginning, after one month, and after six months. The study will also measure how practical it is to run this type of clinic, making sure enough people participate, complete the required surveys, and stay in the study. This will be the first study to test whether a team-based care model is practical and beneficial for APD patients and their caregivers. If successful, it could serve as a foundation for larger studies and potentially improve care for other complex neurological conditions in the future.
Official title: WECARE APD: Randomized Trial to Evaluate the Impact of a Single Multidisciplinary Team Visit for Atypical Parkinsonian Disorders: a Feasibility Study
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
40 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
30
Start Date
2025-03-15
Completion Date
2026-07-20
Last Updated
2025-02-20
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Standard of Care (Investigator Choice)
Participants in the control group will receive usual care, consisting of regular management by their neurologist, family physician, and other healthcare providers. This standard care may include referrals to community services, allied health professionals, and other support typically provided during the waitlist period for MDC visit.
MDC visit
The multidisciplinary clinic visit will use a shared appointment model and will include a specialized team comprising movement disorder neurologist, a palliative and critical care neurologist, a cognitive neurologist, a specialist nurse, a physiotherapist (PT), an occupational therapist (OT), a speech-language pathologist, and a social worker. Care will be delivered in an outpatient setting at a University Hospital. Prior to the initial visit, patients with APS and their care partners will receive a pre-visit questionnaire to identify their top three care priorities. During the visit, the multidisciplinary team will convene with the patient and their care partner in a single appointment room. The session will begin by addressing each of the priority issues identified by the patient and care partner. The team will collaboratively discuss management strategies, focusing on self-management, and will provide real-time guidance and recommendations. As indicated, hands-on PT and OT evaluatio