Dear List members,
On the "AWAKENINGS" Internet site, there's a report about
"The Global Parkinson's Disease Survey" currently in it's pilot
stage. This will be "the first international quality of life
study to involve people with Parkinson's Disease, their carers
and physicians." It is being carried out by the World Health
Organization, PD patient organizations, specialists and
pharmaceutical companies. About 1,000 PWP, and 800-900 caregivers
from 5 countries will be involved. The study will consider issues
such as: attitudes of the patient, caregiver and healthcare
professionals, delivery of diagnosis, infrastructure of support
and support groups, drug and other therapies, information access,
communication between patients, their care team and support
groups.
Dr. J.A. Costa e Silva of WHO was quoted as saying, "It is
obvious that due to the ageing of the world population, the
importance of Parkinson's disease as a public health issue is
expected to increase. Therefore, the problems related to
Parkinson's disease are among the WHO's priorities in neurology
and neuroscience."
"Steps to increase public awareness of Parkinson's disease
as an important health problem should be pursued vigorously,
including the collection of salient information about all aspects
of Parkinson's disease, along with widespread dissemination to
the public, health authorities, medical schools, and teaching
hospitals."
The full report can be found at the Awakenings site
(http://www.parkinsonsdisease.com/) in the News section.
Linda Herman
