Objective: To provide an integrated hub where assessment and recommendations on medical, physical, functional, psychosocial needs are made efficiently, and care co-ordination and support services are accessed promptly, with equity in access and triage of all referrals made in a timely manner to address symptoms management, physical conditioning, functional restoration, and improve quality of life.

Background: Movement disorders are profoundly complex neurodegenerative conditions, treatment for which has significantly evolved over the last 2-3 decades (1,2). Dedicated organisation of service delivery, overseeing linkage with all care services in our district, was lacking. We identified that, although movement disorders clinics are well designed across Australia (1), there exist deficiencies in care co-ordination and links between primary health care services, specialist neurology services and rehabilitation care services across our district. The role of integrated care assessment and treatment recommendations with “filter-in, filter-out” to appropriate services were identified.

Method: We established a novel assessment model of care called the “Integrated Movement Assessment Program”, or I-MAP, comprising a rehabilitation physician, physiotherapist with an integrated occupational therapy role, speech therapist, social worker, administrative assistant and program lead to assess intake and triage all the referrals and oversee the running of the program. Our sub-acute services provide rehabilitation and geriatric care services across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven health district with in-reach, in-patient, out-patient, day rehabilitation services, outpatient services and outreach services.

Results: Our preliminary findings, through case assessments, show that I-MAP dedicates coordinated referral and follow-up treatment in a seamless and timely fashion through targeted identification of patient and carer needs and gaps, with prompt address and management of these.

Conclusion: I-MAP is a novel model of care with an integrated approach involving rehabilitation clinicians to assess, co-ordinate and integrate medical services right from primary health care to community services. We are currently collecting patient reported outcome and experience measures and quality indicators data to review and monitor our I-MAP service for the next 12 months and improve our outcome-based service delivery.

References: 1. Shrubsole, K. (2021). Implementation of an integrated multidisciplinary Movement Disor-ders Clinic: applying a knowledge translation framework to improve multidisciplinary care. Disability and Rehabilitation, 43(14), 2071-2083.
2. van der Marck, M. A., Bloem, B. R., Borm, G. F., Overeem, S., Munneke, M., & Guttman, M. (2013). Effectiveness of multidisciplinary care for Parkinson’s disease: a randomized, controlled trial. Movement disorders, 28(5), 605-611.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/a-novel-model-of-care-for-an-integrated-movement-assessment-program-i-map-targeted-for-patients-with-movement-disorders/