PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Nora E. Fritz
AU  - Deb Kegelmeyer
AU  - Ashwini K. Rao
AU  - Lori Quinn
AU  - Martha A. Nance
AU  - Anne Kloos
TI  - Coordination of Care Among Physical Therapists and Neurologists in Huntington Disease
AID  - 10.1212/CPJ.0000000000200073
DP  - 2022 Oct 01
TA  - Neurology: Clinical Practice
PG  - 377--381
VI  - 12
IP  - 5
4099  - http://cp.neurology.org/content/12/5/377.short
4100  - http://cp.neurology.org/content/12/5/377.full
AB  - This study presents a framework for physical therapy through the course of Huntington disease (HD) which includes coordinated care plans with neurologists. HD is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder that leads to impaired strength and coordination and ultimately progressive loss of function. Interdisciplinary HD care teams provide patient-centered, comprehensive evaluations and make recommendations for pharmacologic, healthcare, and lifestyle interventions based on best available evidence. Physical therapists work to improve movement and mobility using specific therapeutic interventions and individualized exercise programs. The proposed framework recommends that neurologists refer persons with HD to physical therapy at all disease stages, ideally beginning in premanifest and early stages, and that they regularly communicate with physical therapists to ensure implementation of a coordinated care plan. Resources are provided for neurologists to facilitate appropriate referral for individuals with HD to physical therapy based on clinical practice guidelines, including a referral decision guide.