Dutch success story ParkinsonNet in Norway

Health Minister Bent Høie.Photo: regjeringen.no

The Dutch success model ParkinsonNet is now being launched in Norway. Minister of Health, Bent Høie has great faith in the project, also for patients with other chronic diseases.

– With this we use the patient’s own experiences and wishes in a completely new way. And it is important to see how the model can be used for other patient groups with chronic diseases, Bent Høie said on the launch day.

ParkinsonNet is based on the patient’s own needs and opportunities for coping with the disease. The Dutch program includes training of different professional groups and, through online solutions, will facilitate good information, follow-up and dialogue between users and health professionals.

Studies have shown that the need for rehabilitation and admissions is reduced in patients monitored through the network.

Worked for three years

General Secretary of the Norwegian Parkinson’s Confederation, Magne Wang Fredriksen, has been one of the advocates for getting ParkinsonNet established in Norway.

– For us, this is a joyful day in every way. We have been working for three years to come here we are today and we have great faith in the fact that this way of thinking and structuring the services will help many in our target group – but also many other groups with coinciding disorders. It is amazing that we have managed to gather those who developed this in the Netherlands, Norwegian authorities, politicians, professional communities and user organizations. This has to be good, Wang Fredriksen told Dagens Medisin.

Rogaland, Oslo and Akershus

Project manager for the pilot project ParkinsonNet in the Directorate of Health is Thomas Rannstad Haugen. He states that the pilot projects will be conducted in Rogaland, Oslo and Akershus, and will include about 1,000 patients with Parkinson’s disease.

– The Dutch have spent 15 years getting where they are today. We start up the same way they did with a network for systematic training of key staff working with Parkinson’s patients. The professional network includes physiotherapists, occupational therapists and logopedes, and includes a combination of collections, e-learning and training through various electronic solutions, says Thomas Rannstad Haugen.

 

Source: dagensmedisin.no / Norway Today