3. ParkinsonNet
As dissemination does not automatically lead to implementation, we developed a multifaceted implementation strategy: ParkinsonNet. ParkinsonNet not only aims to implement the guidelines, but also to reorganise allied healthcare to increase the patient volume of therapists, make expert healthcare professionals visible to other professionals as well as to patients, and support communication amongst health care professionals involved in PD care as well as between professionals and patients. To set up a ParkinsonNet, first a region needed to be defined.
Step 4 (definition of a parkinsonNet region). Members of the ParkinsonNet team (at the regional expert centre) together with the coordinating neurologist of a general hospital defined the catchment area for which the ParkinsonNet needed to be developed. Within this geographic area, a local community of allied health professionals with Parkinson-specific expertise was created. The key points in this process were selection, training, communication, and transparency (Figure 1, steps 5 to 8).