Please select the arm or intervention descriptions that belong to the clinical trial below.
Title: Efficiency of Physiotherapeutic Care in Parkinson's Disease
Brief Summary: In the course of their disease, most patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD) face mounting mobility deficits, including difficulties with walking, balance, posture and transfers. This frequently leads to (fear of) falls, injuries, loss of independence, and inactivity which causes social isolation and increases the risk of osteoporosis or cardiovascular disease. These mobility deficits are difficult to treat with drugs and neurosurgery. However, physiotherapy is deemed effective in improving mobility deficits in PD. Physiotherapy is widely prescribed for this purpose in the Netherlands. Yet, the efficiency of current "usual care" physiotherapy can be questioned, for two reasons. First, the referral process seems inadequate because patients are mainly referred by neurologists who often lack insight into the (im-)possibilities of physiotherapy for PD. Consequently, patients with a real need for physiotherapy are not always referred (undertreatment), whereas others without a real need are (overtreatment). Furthermore, most therapists treating PD patients are not specifically trained in treating these patients. This is not surprising because average therapists rarely treat more than two patients per year in their practice. Therefore, patients who are being referred probably receive suboptimal treatment.

The objective of this study is to evaluate whether the efficiency of physiotherapeutic care for patients with Parkinson's disease can be improved, at a reduced cost, by targeting two key elements of the current care system: a) inadequate referral by neurologists; b) suboptimal treatment by physiotherapists. We expect that optimal referral combined with expert treatment will increase the efficiency, as reflected by increased health benefits for patients at equal or reduced costs'.


Options:
A: Arm Label: A; Type: EXPERIMENTAL; Interventions: Other: Physical Therapy aimed to improve Physical Activity | Arm Label: B; Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR; Interventions: Other: Physical therapy aimed to move safely | Intervention Type: OTHER; Name: Physical therapy aimed to move safely; Assigned to Arm(s): B | Intervention Type: OTHER; Name: Physical Therapy aimed to improve Physical Activity; Assigned to Arm(s): A
B: Arm Label: Tai Chi; Type: EXPERIMENTAL; Interventions: Behavioral: Tai Chi | Arm Label: B. Strength training; Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR; Interventions: Behavioral: Strength training | Arm Label: C. Low-Impact; Type: OTHER; Interventions: Behavioral: Low-Impact Exercise Control | Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL; Name: Tai Chi; Assigned to Arm(s): Tai Chi | Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL; Name: Strength training; Assigned to Arm(s): B. Strength training | Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL; Name: Low-Impact Exercise Control; Assigned to Arm(s): C. Low-Impact
C: Arm Label: virtual reality balance training; Type: EXPERIMENTAL; Interventions: Behavioral: balance training | Arm Label: conventional balance training; Type: EXPERIMENTAL; Interventions: Behavioral: balance training | Arm Label: control group; Type: NO_INTERVENTION; Interventions: N/A | Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL; Name: balance training; Assigned to Arm(s): conventional balance training, virtual reality balance training
D: Arm Label: I; Type: EXPERIMENTAL; Interventions: Other: ParkNet | Arm Label: II; Type: OTHER; Interventions: Other: Usual Care | Intervention Type: OTHER; Name: ParkNet; Assigned to Arm(s): I | Intervention Type: OTHER; Name: Usual Care; Assigned to Arm(s): II

Answer: D