Rehabilitation and specialized care are essential elements for improving the quality of life and functionality of people with Parkinson's, one of the most common neurological disorders globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In accordance with these principles, the Santos Dumont Institute (ISD), in partnership with the Movement Disorders Society (MDS), the RN State Secretariat for Public Health (Sesap/RN) and the Amparo Network of the University of São Paulo (USP ), brought together, on the 4th and 5th of May, around 50 health professionals from all the Specialized Rehabilitation Centers (CER) in Rio Grande do Norte for an interprofessional training focused on the care of people with Parkinson's Disease.

The event took place at the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neurosciences (IIN-ELS), one of the ISD units in Macaíba. On the occasion, professionals from all RN's CERs participated, in addition to members of the rehabilitation team of the University Hospital Onofre Lopes (HUOL/UFRN). The program included lectures by professionals from various institutions in Brazil, who addressed topics related to multidisciplinary and interprofessional evaluation and reception, in addition to discussions on the articulation of the Health Network and care centered on the person and the family.

On the occasion, those present also had the opportunity to put into practice the shared knowledge, in group activities with clinical intervention practices, conducted by ISD professionals and guests, such as Professor Maria Elisa Pimentel Piemonte, from USP. One of the participants in the event was the physiotherapist Francisco Irivan Paulino Júnior, linked to the Specialized Rehabilitation Center of Pau dos Ferros, who considered the experience provided to be of great relevance. 

“For me it is of great importance, within my training as a rehabilitation professional, to be able, through what is being directed here, to bring back to the CER of Pau dos Ferros more knowledge to offer the best treatment and promote a better quality of care. life for these patients”, says Francisco. 

The event promoted by ISD arises from the pilot project Train the Trainer, of the MDS, in which professionals from different countries who work with Parkinson's Disease receive interprofessional training in the educational model of the MDS to then replicate this model in their institutions of origin. 

The coordinator of the Multidisciplinary Residency in Health Care for Persons with Disabilities at ISD (RESPCD), Lorenna Santiago, was one of these professionals and participated in the Pan-American group that received MDS training in 2022. Now, she brings back the knowledge acquired from the activity promoted by ISD. According to the professional, the main objectives are to decentralize care in the area of Parkinson's and strengthen interprofessional assistance. 

“The main idea is to specialize care for people diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in newborns, especially considering the particularities of the different stages of the disease and the different motor and non-motor symptoms that may be present in this condition. The main objective is to have more people knowing and studying Parkinson's better and thus, decentralizing care”, explains Lorenna. 

Parkinson's on ISD

The care of people with Parkinson's disease is one of the services included in the care lines of the ISD Specialized Rehabilitation Center (CER ISD). The Institute serves users of the 7th Health Region of RN, exclusively through the Unified Health System (SUS).

Parkinson's disease is also the subject of scientific research carried out in the Master's Degree in Neuroengineering and in the Multiprofessional Residency in Health Care for Persons with Disabilities at ISD.