Supporting communication difficulties in people living with Parkinson’s: Protocol for the co-production of a novel language intervention

Background. Recent evidence has confirmed the existence and impact of language difficulties on the daily lives of people living with Parkinson’s (PlwP). Given the scarcity of specific language intervention research in this population, collaboration with PlwP, their communication partners (CPs), and health professionals is essential to develop a relevant and acceptable treatment.

Aims. This paper outlines a protocol for the co-production of a novel language intervention for PlwP. The process aims to: (1) identify key intervention priorities, (2) determine intervention outcomes and select appropriate assessment tools, and (3) design the language activities, home practice tasks, and manuals for the intervention programme.

Methods. The study will follow the Evidence-informed, Experience-based framework. PlwP and CPs will be recruited via Parkinson’s UK to form a Co-Production Group to work with the research team through a series of online meetings and follow-up tasks over a nine-month period. Input from health professionals will also be gathered. The quality and impact of this collaborative engagement will be evaluated against the UK Standards for Public Involvement using a mixed-methods approach.

Results. Group recruitment is expected to finish by month 2 of the study. Co-production activities are anticipated to be completed by month 9, with data analysis results available by month 18.

Conclusions. The presented co-production protocol is grounded in established frameworks to ensure transparent and meaningful involvement of PlwP, CPs, and health professionals. We hope that the resulting intervention package can be a useful resource for communication management in Parkinson’s and provide an evidence base for future clinical trials.