DERBY has been chosen as one of just three places in the country to trial a new project to help people with Parkinson's disease.
Patients at Royal Derby Hospital will take part in a six-week scheme to help them get more involved in managing their condition.
The feedback given by them and medics in the city will be used to develop the programme for national use.
Derby has been chosen because the city's hospitals were last year named as a Parkinson's Disease Centre of Excellence by the USA's National Parkinson Foundation, in recognition of their research, care, education and outreach services for patients.
During the pilot, around 40 patients will be asked to assess changes in their health by monitoring the quality of their sleep, mood and diet, and how long it takes them to complete everyday activities.
Parkinson's disease is a disorder of the nervous system that causes tremors, slow movement and stiffness of muscles.
The pilot, which will also run in Hull and Southampton, is set to take place in January, before being extended across the country by June.
National charity The Cure Parkinson's Trust, which is behind the scheme, hopes it will help patients better understand their condition by recognising areas of everyday life which are affected by it.
A spokeswoman for the charity said a recent survey carried out on behalf of the charity highlighted the importance of the programme.
She said: "Parkinson's disease is a complex, highly individual disorder of the nervous system with a wide range of symptoms that can vary from day to day.
"A person with Parkinson's can give valuable insights to help healthcare professionals.
"The survey found that two-thirds of people with Parkinson's want more involvement in their appointments and 70% said that a resource to help them prepare for those appointments would be useful."
Sheila North, chairman of Derby Parkinson's Disease Society, highlighted a potential problem with the idea.
She said: "It can be very difficult to be objective about one's own abilities.
"I hope the research has a mechanism for an objective assessor to validate the forms."
But Derby nurse Lisa Brown, a specialist in Parkinson's disease, said she was sure the tool would improve the quality of care received by patients.
She said: "This will give us a picture of how they are doing in their day-to-day life and how the disease is affecting them."
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