Can personalised care help people live well with Parkinson’s disease?

Parkinson’s disease affects certain cells in the brain leading to problems with movement, including tremor, slowness and stiffness. People with Parkinson’s can also develop other symptoms such as problems with memory and thinking, mental health and bowel problems.

Parkinson’s affects 1 per cent of people aged over 60. People with Parkinson’s can need considerable medical care, particularly as the disease gets worse. This includes planned care, but as the disease progresses the need for unplanned care increases.

Although the best possible care is currently provided to people with Parkinson’s, care could be improved by tailoring it to suit each person’s needs. PRIME-UK (Proactive and Integrated Management and Empowerment in Parkinson’s Disease-UK) is a new model of care that aims to do this. It is being tested in the PRIME-UK randomised control trial (RCT). RCTs are considered the best test of a health intervention.

The PRIME model aims to personalise care to an individual’s needs and priorities by identifying and supporting the achievement of personal goals. This will be achieved by providing patients and their caregivers with a single point of access for support and guidance, alongside personalised physical activity plans and help with managing the individual’s symptoms of Parkinson’s.

We are providing the interview element of the PRIME trial.