The Need for More Time in Movement Disorder Care: Temitope Lawal, MD

WATCH TIME: 2 minutes

“The tip of the iceberg is the medical treatment. The real iceberg is their motivation to be treated, their perception of health care, and their perception that you are their ally. That they’re not just one extra statistic or a form of moneymaking for you as a physician or healthcare professional. That’s what I see. They want to know that you care.”

The general public’s perception of medical science, practice, and industry in the past few decades has waxed and waned, with many patients beginning to take a larger role in their care and the access to information increasing drastically. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the view of the field in more recent years, all while a shortage of physicians has loomed in the backdrop.

These challenges of perception have been difficult to address and perhaps compounded by another obstacle. As the physician shortage—which is expected to affect specialties such as neurology harshly—begins to have an impact, the number of patients with chronic disease is inversely on the rise. This has led to a lack of time with patients in clinical care. For neurologists and movement disorder specialists, this can make managing treatment-resistant disease, addressing poor therapy adherence, or improving comorbidities complicated.

At the inaugural Advanced Therapeutics in Movement and Related Disorders (ATMRD) Congress, held in mid-June 2022, in Washington, DC, Temitope Lawal, MD, with the PMD Alliance, who held the ATMRD Congress along with MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, about this challenge of time. Lawal, a neurologist and movement disorders fellow at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, shared his perspective on the need to spend more time with patients to improve their perception of health care by providing firsthand evidence via interaction and to understand the important role that physicians play in the lives of those with chronic movement disorders.

Click here for more coverage of ATMRD 2022.