Grant: Project Grant

Parkinson disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that affects 80,000 Canadians and is expected to double by 2030 worldwide. Care needs are complex and the traditional model of care delivery centered in the physician has strains and limitations. Care Integration has the potential to improve patient quality of life by tailoring the care approach, facilitating the navigation of the patient and caregiver in the complex map of care resources available in the hospital and in the community. Informed by the Ontario-developed Framework for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, we have developed the Integrated Parkinson's disease Care Network (IPCN) in Ottawa and are now poised to test it formally across Canada. As a first step, we propose to conduct the ICarePD feasibility controlled study as an initial investigation of adding the IPCN to usual physician-centered care delivery to address complex needs in Parkinson disease. The results of this feasibility trial will optimize the design, implementation and conduction of a large confirmatory cluster randomized controlled trial. The IPCN has the potential to improve the lives of patient with PD and potentially with other neurodegenerative disorders, with a optimal use of taxpayer money