The field of non-pharmacological interventions for the treatment of individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) is reaching maturity and has the potential to substantially improve patient care in the future. A supplement to the ( ) captures a wealth of information on non-pharmacological interventions addressing physical and mental perspectives as well as views on access to care. The voices of people with Parkinson's are being heard more and more, fueling a more holistic approach to the treatment of this neurodegenerative disease.
"We are increasingly witnessing participatory research approaches in which patients are involved in designing novel treatment programs, preparing consensus statements on the delivery of multidisciplinary care, and in defining outcome measures," says co-Guest Editor of the supplement Elke Kalbe, Ph.D. Kalbe is associated with the Medical Psychology | Neuropsychology and Gender Studies & Center for Neuropsychological Diagnostics and Intervention (CeNDI), University Hospital Cologne, and Medical Faculty of the University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
"Coupled with the empirical observations of clinicians who continually face the limitations of pharmacotherapy and the growing support of evidence that comes from adequately designed research studies, these developments yield a much wider perspective on patient care than previously endorsed," adds co-guest editor Bastiaan R. Bloem, MD. Bloem is from the Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for.