Study Rationale: Gait abnormalities are among the most debilitating symptoms of PD, associated with falls, reduced mobility and increased dependency. However, education on gait in PD and developments in the field are not widely disseminated. Healthcare professionals, including neurologists, physical therapists and rehabilitation specialists, must be well-versed in the mechanisms of gait dysfunction in PD to effectively assess, treat and manage these challenges. For professionals, understanding the complex motor and non-motor factors influencing gait allows for multidimensional approaches, evidence-based or expert recommendations. When patients and care givers are educated about their condition, they can better understand the progression, recognize early signs and take proactive steps to manage these issues, potentially helping to prevent complications and maintain independence. This project will address these needs.
Hypothesis: Continuous education on the latest advancements in gait analysis, assistive technologies, and therapeutic approaches is essential for professionals to offer evidence-based, comprehensive care backed-up by validated research. Targeted education for patients and care givers could assist with self efficacy.
Study Design: The Gait Advisors Leading Outcomes for Parkinson’s committee is an advisory committee for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. The committee, including a person with PD and senior and junior experts in the field of gait in PD from academia and clinical care, aims to create and implement a roadmap of educational dissemination activities to enhance knowledge of gait impairments in PD for professionals, researchers, patients and caregivers through conferences and workshop and also design a peer-learning program to help in the application of theory to practice.
Impact on Diagnosis/Treatment of Parkinson’s disease: We envision that, ultimately, the proposed dissemination activities will markedly enhance knowledge on gait in PD, which will result in better care and improved health related quality of life of people with PD. In addition, we believe that such educational activities may bring additional researchers to this area, fostering more research on gait in PD, which will eventually promote progress in the field.
Next Steps for Development: The mentorship and peer-learning program will be piloted on physical therapists in centers of excellence. The program will foster knowledge, care and future collaborations and will create a global network of professionals who can provide guidance and assist with clinical questions. If successful, such a program could be developed for other allied health professionals (i.e., nurses, speech pathologists) as well as residents.