The Natural History of Parkinson's Disease and its Treatment

This three year research project is funded by the National Parkinson Foundation (USA). It commenced late 2006, with completion anticipated by December 2009. One hundred participants have been recruited, and over half of these participants have completed their 12 month follow-up. Further funding is currently being sought to continue this project to compare models of care currently practiced throughout Victoria. The two major aims of the project are:

1. Map disease progression in the impairment, activity, participation, well-being & quality of life domains over a 12 month period in a sample of people receiving comprehensive services from the Victorian Comprehensive Parkinson Program (VCPP).

   1. Field-test measurement protocols and outcome measures to quantify disease progression and to prepare for future clinical trials of new and/or current interventions for the management of PD.
   2. Describe and compare quality of life for people with Parkinson’s disease and their carers by initial disease state and progression

   
   

2. Describe and quantify the costs of care (including informal care, services utilized and events attributable to Parkinson’s disease by initial disease state and progression from both a health system and societal perspective, for people with Parkinson’s disease receiving care from VCPP
   
   1. Establish a database to store large volumes of costing and clinical data from multiple sources,
      
   2. Develop a model to predict the statistical importance of clinical outcome and quality of life measures on cost and health care utilization over a 12-month period for the VCPP.
      

Investigators

Prof Robert Iansek, Southern Health
Prof Meg Morris, University of Melbourne
Prof Don Campbell, Southern Health & Monash University
A/Prof Damien Jolley, Monash Institute of Health Services Research
Ms Jenny Watts, Monash University

Project Administrator

Dr Anna Murphy, Southern Health

Project Manager

Ms Tracy Taylor