Digital support for patients with young onset PD
There is now more support for younger people with Parkinson’s disease in the form of a free-to-download app and resource hub, Young Onset Parkinson’s eXchange (YOP-X).
The initiative recognises that Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease (YOPD) affects people at a time when they should be at their most productive through employment, family and school commitments, sporting and social activities.
Cognitive neuroscientist Dr Fiona Kerr, CEO of The NeuroTech Institute at the South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute, said people with YOPD not only face debilitating motor impairment, but also non-motor symptoms including anxiety, depression, apathy and sleep disorders that can substantially compromise their quality of life.
“The combination of support provided by the YOP-X app and medical care offers YOPD patients a holistic approach to addressing changes involving their work, relationships, sleep, physical ability and mental health,” she said.
YOP-X provides easily accessible information about their disease and its management such as educational videos on mental health and wellbeing, exercises to increase strength and balance, and prompts and reminders to promote positive behavioral change.
The app is available for download from the App Store or Google Play.
Migraine: world’s worst managed medical disorder?
Prescribing patterns for the treatment of acute migraine in the ED across the world reveal an alarming overprescription of opiates and underprescription of triptans.
A scoping review of the evidence, co-authored by senior investigator Professor Tissa Wijeratne from Western Health, found 57% of the included studies focused on the use of opiates.
“Moreover some studies showed very high rates of opiate prescription, in one hospital the prescription rate was 69%,” the review said.
Yet patients who received opiates described poorer outcomes or no increased pain relief.
“Interestingly none of the studies mentioned concepts such as sustained pain free response or 2-h pain freedom as a treatment goal, both of which are important clinical endpoint measures which can be used to assess the outcomes of migraine treatment.”