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BBVIE, a global research-based biopharmaceutical company, has launched the PD Communicate initiative, as part of a series of workshops and activities designed to enhance communication between physicians and Parkinson’s Disease (PD) patients.

The first workshop was conducted by the Center for Motivation and Change based in the Netherlands and aims to provide neurologists with the tools to conduct motivational interviewing that will bring about enhanced communication between Parkinson’s disease patients and their doctors and care givers.

Magdy Eltabbakh, Medical Director of AbbVie in Saudi Arabia, said “our goal is to have a remarkable impact on our patients’ lives. One of the main barriers to delivering effective care to patients of Parkinson’s Disease is the gap in communication between health care professionals and patients.

Motivational interviewing has become a cornerstone of medical treatment and this workshop is aimed at employing this technique effectively in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease patients.” Around 25 neurologists from across Saudi Arabia have attended the first workshop, which was led by PD specialists and general neurologists, and focused on optimizing the communication between patients and practitioners. The goal is to improve PD management and achieve sustained treatment outcomes.

Motivational interviewing is an evidence-based approach that improves communication between doctor and patient and motivates patients to adhere to their prescribed treatment more assiduously, leading to better treatment outcomes.

Through a better understanding of their very complicated disease and available treatments, PD patients acquire a more realistic perception of expectations for handling the disease and its treatment.

PD Communicate is an initiative that will extend to a series of workshops that will also utilize online materials. — SG