Recommendations for Standards of Network Care for Patients with Parkinson’s Disease in Germany

Abstract

Although our understanding of Parkinson’s disease (PD) has improved and effective treatments are available, caring for people with PD remains a challenge. The large heterogeneity in terms of motor symptoms, nonmotor symptoms, and disease progression makes tailored individual therapy and individual timing of treatment necessary. On the other hand, only limited resources are available for a growing number of patients, and the high quality of treatment cannot be guaranteed across the board. At this point, networks can help to make better use of resources and improve care. The working group PD Networks and Integrated Care, part of the German Parkinson Society, is entrusted to convene clinicians, therapists, nurses, researchers, and patients to promote the development of PD networks. This article summarizes the work carried out by the working group PD Networks and Integrated Care in the development of standards of network care for patients with PD in Germany.