PD_Pal · Project

Palliative Care Model and Online Training for Advanced Parkinson's Disease

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When Parkinson's disease reaches its later stages, patients lose independence and their families struggle to manage increasingly complex care needs — but most healthcare systems only offer palliative support for cancer, not neurological conditions. This project built and tested a structured palliative care program specifically for advanced Parkinson's patients, including Advance Care Planning conversations and multidisciplinary support. They ran a clinical trial across multiple European countries to prove it actually works, then packaged the knowledge into clinical guidelines and a free online course so doctors and nurses anywhere can learn the approach. Think of it as bringing the same compassionate end-of-life planning that cancer patients get to the millions living with Parkinson's.

By the numbers

2nd

Most common neurodegenerative disorder (Parkinson's disease)

Consortium partners involved

European countries in the trial

Total project deliverables produced

The business problem

What needed solving

Advanced Parkinson's disease patients face progressive loss of independence and quality of life, yet unlike cancer patients, they rarely receive structured palliative care or advance care planning. This gap means families are overwhelmed, clinicians lack protocols, and healthcare systems bear higher costs from uncoordinated late-stage care. Healthcare providers and training organizations need validated, ready-to-deploy palliative care models and educational programs for this underserved patient population.

The solution

What was built

The project produced a validated palliative care intervention model tested through a randomized controlled trial across 7 European countries, evidence-based clinical guidelines developed with major European medical associations, and a complete MOOC educational platform ('Best Care for People with Late Stage Parkinson') integrated into the WHO-supported palliative care curriculum, with documented educator and student feedback.

Audience

Who needs this

Home healthcare agencies managing neurological patientsMedical e-learning platforms seeking validated clinical coursesHospital palliative care departments expanding beyond oncologyDigital health companies building chronic disease management toolsNational health services developing Parkinson's care pathways

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Healthcare Education & E-Learning

any

Target: Online medical education platform or continuing professional development provider

If you are a healthcare e-learning provider looking for evidence-based clinical content — this project developed a WHO-supported Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) called 'Best Care for People with Late Stage Parkinson' with tested educational outcomes from educators and students. The course content is validated through a multi-country clinical trial across 7 European countries and backed by the European Association for Palliative Care and the European Academy of Neurology.

Home Healthcare & Elderly Care Services

mid-size

Target: Home care agency or elderly care service provider specializing in neurological conditions

If you are a home healthcare provider managing patients with advanced Parkinson's disease — this project validated an outpatient palliative care intervention model that improves family satisfaction, symptom management, and quality of life. The model was tested across 7 countries with 11 consortium partners and provides structured Advance Care Planning protocols you can integrate into your existing care pathways.

Medical Device & Digital Health

SME

Target: Digital health company building care coordination or patient management platforms

If you are a digital health company building care management tools for chronic neurological conditions — this project produced evidence-based guidelines for palliative care in Parkinson's disease, validated through a randomized controlled trial. These guidelines, developed with the Movement Disorders Society and European medical associations, provide the clinical logic and care protocols that can be embedded into digital care coordination platforms.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What does this cost to implement in a healthcare organization?

The project data does not include specific implementation cost figures. However, the model is designed around outpatient multidisciplinary palliative care and Advance Care Planning — approaches that layer onto existing clinical workflows rather than requiring new infrastructure. The MOOC component was specifically designed to prove economic sustainability of the approach.

Can this scale beyond the trial countries?

Yes — the project was explicitly designed for pan-European transfer. The clinical guidelines were developed with the European Association for Palliative Care, the European Academy of Neurology, and the Movement Disorders Society. The MOOC is integrated into the WHO-supported interdisciplinary post-graduate palliative care curriculum, giving it a built-in international distribution channel.

What about intellectual property and licensing for the guidelines and MOOC?

The MOOC and guidelines were developed under a Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Action by 11 partners across 7 countries, primarily universities. Based on available project data, the MOOC is described as an educational platform with open course characteristics. Licensing terms would need to be discussed with the coordinating university, Universita degli Studi di Padova.

Is there clinical evidence that this approach actually works?

The project ran a randomized controlled trial — the gold standard for clinical evidence — measuring effectiveness of the palliative care intervention on family satisfaction, symptom management, and quality of life. This is stronger evidence than most healthcare innovations at this stage typically have. Results were generated across multiple countries in the consortium.

How long would it take to adopt this in our organization?

The project ran from 2019 to 2022 and produced ready-to-use outputs: clinical guidelines and a complete MOOC with educational platform. Based on available project data, the MOOC includes educator and student feedback on achievement of educational goals, suggesting the training component is deployment-ready. Integration of the care model itself would depend on your existing clinical pathways.

Does this work alongside existing Parkinson's treatment protocols?

Absolutely — that is a core design principle. The palliative care model was built to be 'easily integrated with traditional management when disability limits mobility and independence.' It adds a layer of support rather than replacing existing neurology care, making adoption less disruptive for healthcare providers.

Consortium

Who built it

The PD_Pal consortium of 11 partners across 7 countries (Austria, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, UK) is heavily academic — 8 universities form the core, with only 2 industry partners and 1 SME (18% industry ratio). This is typical for clinical research projects and means the scientific rigor is strong, but commercial translation will require external business partners. The coordinator, Universita degli Studi di Padova in Italy, led a team that includes leading experts in both neurology and palliative care with roles in national and international Parkinson's working groups. For a business looking to adopt or license these outputs, the academic-heavy consortium means you would be working directly with the research institutions that created the evidence base.

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVACoordinator · IT
PHILIPPS UNIVERSITAET MARBURGparticipant · DE
STICHTING RADBOUD UNIVERSITEITparticipant · NL
STICHTING RADBOUD UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUMparticipant · NL
PANEPISTIMIO IOANNINONparticipant · EL
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDONparticipant · UK
PARACELSUS MEDIZINISCHE PRIVATUNIVERSITAT SALZBURG - PRIVATSTIFTUNGparticipant · AT
KING'S COLLEGE LONDONparticipant · UK
MEDIOLANUM CARDIO RESEARCH SRLparticipant · IT

How to reach the team

Universita degli Studi di Padova (Italy) — contact through SciTransfer for a warm introduction to the project team

Order a report on this consortium See UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to integrate validated Parkinson's palliative care protocols into your healthcare platform or training program? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the PD_Pal research team and help structure a licensing or collaboration agreement.

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