Expanding Accessibility of MANAGE-PD Screening Tool: Hubert Fernandez, MD

"Spread this to developing countries because their resources are limited and it becomes even more critical to identify who these patients are. I would argue that as expensive as these device-aided therapies are, it is likely more expensive when we do not improve the quality of life of these patients.”

MANAGE-PD is an instrument designed to support healthcare providers in the identification of patients with Parkinson disease (PD) uncontrolled on oral medications. The screening tool groups patients into 3 categories based on their inadequacies with their current regimen and allows those who may be eligible for device-aided therapies to begin to seek treatment options. It has been validated in a number of previous studies, including 1 presented at the 2021 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting, April 17-22.

Led by Hubert Fernandez, MD, the study showed that 19% of patients with PD were inadequately controlled on oral therapy and eligible for device-aided therapies. Most notably, 50% of those eligible did not report having discussion with providers about future device-aided therapies. Fernandez, director of the Center for Neurological Restoration at Cleveland Clinic, doesn’t anticipate much more research on MANAGE-PD because it serves its purpose as a screening tool, which comes with limitations.

He did note that the next steps are to optimize its applicability and accessibility with web-based versions, as well as spreading it worldwide. In an interview with NeurologyLive, Fernandez sat down to discuss his future aspirations of the MANAGE-PD tool and how it might expand its utilization.

REFERENCE

Fernandez H, Odin P, Standaert D, et al. Identifying gaps in Parkinson disease patients eligible for device-aided therapies: results from using the MANAGE-PD tool in patients from G7 countries. Abstract P14.117