Objective: To disseminate best practice to Occupational Therapists (OTs) about Parkinson’s.

Background: 5 years after publication of the Occupational Therapy for people with Parkinson’s: Best practice guidelines (Aragon & Kings 2010) an update was commenced in 2015. The original Best practice guide was initiated and supported by Parkinson’s UK [a national organisation seeking to find a cure and improve life for everyone affected by Parkinson’s] and has been freely available since 2010 from their website. Published in collaboration with the College of Occupational Therapists, London the guide can also be access via their website, whilst low cost, bound copies can be purchased online. The 76 page practice guide, was designed to aid implementation of Recommendation 80 of the 2006 National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) Parkinson’s disease National clinical guideline, which as a good practice point, suggests that; Occupational Therapy should be available as required. However, NICE (2006) did not suggest what methods OTs might use to address the many functional, emotional and social domains affected by Parkinson’s.

Methods: Due to the scarcity of evidence at that time, the original OT – Parkinson’s practice guide was developed pragmatically over a 2 year period, based on over 40 years of clinical expertise of the 2 co-authors. It was informed by an online survey of 230 people with Parkinson’s in 4 European countries and over 30 UK based OTs. Insights from areas, such as neurology, neuro-psychology and physiotherapy research, also informed the peer reviewed and evidence based, Parkinson’s-specific OT clinical guide.

Results: The 2nd edition of the Occupational Therapy for people with Parkinson’s: Best practice Guidance [slightly renamed to fit recent government definitions] will be published in 2016 and will again be freely available online. The new edition is underpinned by encouraging evidence published over the past 5 years or so, that supports many of the OT approaches and interventions highlighted in the guide, to address functional, emotional and social concerns. The 2nd edition of the OT guidance will again aim to support the much broader NICE Parkinson’s guidelines 2nd edition [an update of the NICE 2006 document], which is also due for publication in 2016.

Conclusions: The first edition was well received and it is hoped that the 2nd edition will be as popular.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/introducing-the-2nd-edition-of-the-occupational-therapy-for-people-with-parkinsons-best-practice-guidance/