Emerging Therapies in Movement Disorders and Chronic Care Management for Parkinson Disease: Safia Abdillahi, ACNP-BC, DNP

WATCH TIME: 5 minutes

“We're not slowing down the progression of the disease, we're really treating patients’ symptoms and improving their quality of life. It's frustrating to say to them, ‘OK, hang in there. Well, let's wait until the summer and let's wait until the end of the year.’ So, there's a bit of frustration. There's so much we can do well with what we have right now, but it's not enough.”

The field of movement disorders has slowly been making progress in the approval of the new therapies in comparison with other subspecialties in neurology, leaving patients and clinicians in a state of longing for more effective treatments. The implications of this slow-moving progress and the need for more innovative solutions are coming up more in conversations among clinicians and patients alike, which has ignited a sense of urgency in the clinical community.

Safia Abdillahi, ACNP-BC, DNP, a nurse practitioner in the movement disorder division of Georgetown University Hospital, presented in 2 concurrent sessions at 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. One of the sessions she spoke in was a master class titled “Mastering the Art of Botulinum Toxins Master” and the other session was titled “Advanced Diagnostic Tools for Memory and Movement Disorders with Hands on Skin Biopsy.”^1,2

Abdillahi sat down in an interview with NeurologyLive® at the Congress to discuss the slow process of therapy approvals in movement disorders compared with other subspecialities in neurology, such as multiple sclerosis, and the impact that has had on patients. Despite the slow pace of approvals in the field, she mentioned how some of the new emerging therapies offer potential for patients, as seen from presentations given at the ATMRD Congress. In addition, Abdillahi mentioned some of the challenges that clinicians face in providing comprehensive care for patients with PD and talked about an approach that could combat this difficulty.

Click here for more coverage of ATMRD 2023.

REFERENCES
1. Abdillahi S. Mastering the Art of Botulinum Toxins Master Class. Presented at: ATMRD; June 9-11, 2023; Washington, DC. Concurrent Session.
2. Abdillahi S. Advanced Diagnostic Tools for Memory and Movement Disorders with Hands on Skin Biopsy. Presented at: ATMRD; June 9-11, 2023; Washington, DC. Concurrent Session.