Addressing Patient Hesitancy in Parkinson Treatment With Education: Mazen Elkurd, DO

WATCH TIME: 4 minutes

"There is a need for more patient education because we do not do a good enough job of explaining what Parkinson disease is and its causes to patients. Also, patients often receive minimal guidance—such as 'Take this pill, 3 times a day'—without understanding the treatment's intentions or potential effects."

Parkinson disease (PD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, is characterized by motor and nonmotor symptoms. In research and clinical practice, the best way to manage motor and nonmotor symptoms of the disease is through a multidisciplinary and comprehensive approach. Among the key aspects of this approach, called the chronic care model, are patient-centered care, patient engagement and empowerment, and health literacy.¹ Following this model will help with reducing reluctancy in patients trying new treatments and will allow patients to have a better understanding of their disease and managing it.

Mazen Elkurd, DO, an attendee of the 2nd Annual Advanced Therapeutics in Movement and Related Disorders (ATMRD) Congress, held by the PMD Alliance from June 8 to 11, 2023, in Washington, DC, sat down in an interview with NeurologyLive® at the meeting to discuss the relationship between providers and patients with PD when it comes to treatments. Elkurd, a movement disorders specialist, talked about how providers can effectively bridge the communication gap with patients regarding treatment expectations and medication effects in PD.

He also talked about the ways that patient education can be significantly enhanced to encompass a comprehensive understanding of the causes of PD and the intentions of its treatments. Elkurd, director of the Movement Disorders Center at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, a part of Baylor Scott & White Health, discussed how wearable technologies, like the Apple Watch and specialized devices, revolutionize the approach to PD care through continuous patient monitoring and treatment adjustments.

Click here for more coverage of ATMRD 2023.

REFERENCES
1. De Pandis MF, Torti M, Rotondo R, et al. Therapeutic education for empowerment and engagement in patients with Parkinson's disease: A non-pharmacological, interventional, multicentric, randomized controlled trial. Front Neurol. 2023;14:1167685. Published 2023 Apr 18. doi:10.3389/fneur.2023.1167685