Neuroscience Team at Forefront of Parkinson’s Disease Care and Research
Hackensack University Medical Center experts collaborate with Parkinson’s Foundation on hospital care recommendations and publish research on positive outcomes from medication administration protocols
Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at Hackensack University Medical Center— part of Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jersey’s largest, most comprehensive health network —is one of three health systems in the U.S. to collaborate with the Parkinson’s Foundation on developing new hospital care recommendations for patients with Parkinson’s disease.
The resulting report, “Parkinson’s Foundation Hospital Care Recommendations,” was released to bridge major gaps common in American health care for Parkinson’s patients, including medication management through system-level changes in clinical care, management, culture, technology, education and policy. The other health systems who consulted on the project are Henry Ford Health, University of Florida Health, along with consulting firm Manatt Health.
In addition to promoting better inpatient care for patients with Parkinson’s disease throughout the nation, some of the Parkinson’s Foundation recommendations for improved medication administration and other protocols were based in part on policies and procedures that have already been implemented at Hackensack University Medical Center.
Hooman Azmi, M.D., director of the Division of Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery at the Neuroscience Institute at Hackensack University Medical Center and associate professor of Neurosurgery at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, is the lead author of a study, titled “Custom order entry for Parkinson’s medications in the hospital improves timely administration: an analysis of over 31,000 medication doses.” The full study was published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience in December 2023.
“Even a 15-minute delay in the administration of Parkinson’s disease medications can be harmful,” said Dr. Azmi. “Our goal is to find ways to improve patient care for people with Parkinson’s disease, and improving timeliness of medication administration is an area where enhancing our internal protocols makes a significant impact on patient well-being.”
The study, co-authored by 11 hospital team members from the departments of neurosurgery, neurology, pharmacy, nursing clinical education and patient safety and quality, reviewed more than 31,000 orders for Parkinson’s medications placed during a nearly five-year period and found that custom medication orders were administered in a more-timely manner than non-custom orders.
“Our research shows that using custom medication orders for people with Parkinson’s disease can significantly reduce delays in medication administration in an inpatient setting,” said Dr. Azmi. “The positive outcomes we found in our research support the new recommendations released by the Parkinson’s Foundation, which have already been implemented at our hospital with further implementation across our network underway.”
Through the support of the Parkinson's Foundation, Hackensack Meridian Health is collaborating with its clinical leaders across its network to expand a best-practice protocol that focuses on timely patient medication management to avoid patient complications for Parkinson’s patients in the emergency department or admitted to a hospital within its network.
Some of the protocols Parkinson’s patients will experience include:
- Development of flags that alert any provider to the diagnosis of PD
- Customized time-based carbidopa/levodopa medication schedule
- A nursing care plan to supplement and support educational efforts designed to reduce risk for hospitalized PD patients.
“Our institution is at the forefront of Parkinson’s disease care, and that includes optimizing our patients’ health, safety and experience while they are in the hospital,” said study co-author Florian P. Thomas, M.D., Ph.D., Founding Chair and Professor, Hackensack University Medical Center Department of Neurology and Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. “Through our internal efforts, research, and contributions to new recommendations for Parkinson’s care protocols, we are leading the way and helping to make a real difference for people with Parkinson’s across the U.S.”
Learn more about innovative neurological care at Hackensack University Medical Center.
