NCT00330694

Brief Summary

In the course of their disease, most patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD) face mounting mobility deficits, including difficulties with walking, balance, posture and transfers. This frequently leads to (fear of) falls, injuries, loss of independence, and inactivity which causes social isolation and increases the risk of osteoporosis or cardiovascular disease. These mobility deficits are difficult to treat with drugs and neurosurgery. However, physiotherapy is deemed effective in improving mobility deficits in PD. Physiotherapy is widely prescribed for this purpose in the Netherlands. Yet, the efficiency of current "usual care" physiotherapy can be questioned, for two reasons. First, the referral process seems inadequate because patients are mainly referred by neurologists who often lack insight into the (im-)possibilities of physiotherapy for PD. Consequently, patients with a real need for physiotherapy are not always referred (undertreatment), whereas others without a real need are (overtreatment). Furthermore, most therapists treating PD patients are not specifically trained in treating these patients. This is not surprising because average therapists rarely treat more than two patients per year in their practice. Therefore, patients who are being referred probably receive suboptimal treatment. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether the efficiency of physiotherapeutic care for patients with Parkinson's disease can be improved, at a reduced cost, by targeting two key elements of the current care system: a) inadequate referral by neurologists; b) suboptimal treatment by physiotherapists. We expect that optimal referral combined with expert treatment will increase the efficiency, as reflected by increased health benefits for patients at equal or reduced costs'.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
708

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for phase_3

Timeline
Completed

Started May 2006

Shorter than P25 for phase_3

Geographic Reach
1 country

18 active sites

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

May 1, 2006

Completed
23 days until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

May 24, 2006

Completed
5 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

May 29, 2006

Completed
1.1 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

July 1, 2007

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

July 1, 2007

Completed
Last Updated

September 3, 2008

Status Verified

September 1, 2008

Enrollment Period

1.2 years

First QC Date

May 24, 2006

Last Update Submit

September 1, 2008

Conditions

Keywords

Physical TherapyOrganisation of care

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Modified MACTAR scale

    6 months

Secondary Outcomes (22)

  • Parkinson Activity Scale (secondary)

    6 months

  • Costs

    6 months

  • Proportion of correct referrals (tertiary)

    6 months

  • Quality of physiotherapy(tertiary)

    6 months

  • Incidence of Falls (tertiary)

    6 months

  • +17 more secondary outcomes

Study Arms (2)

I

EXPERIMENTAL

Implementation of ParkNet within 8 regions

Other: ParkNet

II

OTHER

Usual Care in 8 regions

Other: Usual Care

Interventions

ParkNetOTHER

Development of a network of dedicated physiotherapist with specific expertise in Parkinson's Disease and structured referrals to these ParkNet therapists by neurologists.

I

No altered organisation of physiotherapy care in Parkinson's Disease

II

Eligibility Criteria

Age20 Years - 80 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Patients with idiopathic PD, diagnosed according to the Brain Bank criteria of the UK Parkinson's Disease Society
  • Living independently in the community
  • Able to complete the trial questionnaires.

You may not qualify if:

  • Atypical parkinsonian syndromes
  • Hoehn \& Yahr stage 5
  • Severe cognitive impairment
  • Presence of major psychiatric disorders
  • Severe co-morbidity (e.g. cancer) that interferes with daily functioning.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (18)

Jeroen Bosch Hospital

's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands

Location

Medisch Centrum Alkmaar

Alkmaar, Netherlands

Location

Gelre Ziekenhuis

Apeldoorn, Netherlands

Location

Ziekenhuis Gooi Noord

Blaricum, Netherlands

Location

Reinier de Graaf Groep

Delft, Netherlands

Location

Slingeland Ziekenhuis

Doetinchem, Netherlands

Location

Ziekenhuis Gelderse Vallei

Ede, Netherlands

Location

Catharina Ziekenhuis

Eindhoven, Netherlands

Location

Maxima Medisch Centrum

Eindhoven, Netherlands

Location

Groene Hart Ziekenhuis

Gouda, Netherlands

Location

Kennemer Gasthuis

Haarlem, Netherlands

Location

Ziekenhuis Hilversum

Hilversum, Netherlands

Location

Westfries Gasthuis

Hoorn, Netherlands

Location

Ziekenhuis Bernhoven

Oss, Netherlands

Location

Medisch Centrum Haaglanden, Westeinde

The Hague, Netherlands

Location

Viecurie Medisch Centrum

Venlo, Netherlands

Location

't Lange land ziekenhuis

Zoetermeer, Netherlands

Location

Gelre Ziekenhuizen

Zutphen, Netherlands

Location

Related Publications (1)

  • Munneke M, Nijkrake MJ, Keus SH, Kwakkel G, Berendse HW, Roos RA, Borm GF, Adang EM, Overeem S, Bloem BR; ParkinsonNet Trial Study Group. Efficacy of community-based physiotherapy networks for patients with Parkinson's disease: a cluster-randomised trial. Lancet Neurol. 2010 Jan;9(1):46-54. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(09)70327-8. Epub 2009 Dec 1.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Parkinson Disease

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Parkinsonian DisordersBasal Ganglia DiseasesBrain DiseasesCentral Nervous System DiseasesNervous System DiseasesMovement DisordersSynucleinopathiesNeurodegenerative Diseases

Study Officials

  • Marten Munneke, PhD

    UMC st Radboud

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
  • Bastiaan R Bloem, MD, PhD

    UMC st Radboud

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
phase 3
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
TRIPLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

May 24, 2006

First Posted

May 29, 2006

Study Start

May 1, 2006

Primary Completion

July 1, 2007

Study Completion

July 1, 2007

Last Updated

September 3, 2008

Record last verified: 2008-09

Locations