Dissemination Plan 

Previously established connections with the Michael J Fox Foundation Buddy Network, Davis Phinney Foundation, American Parkinson’s Disease Association, Parkinson’s Europe, Parkinson’s Africa, PD Avengers, and PMD Alliance will be utilized to disseminate the symptom management resource. These foundations have readily available access to YOPD stakeholders; previous collaborations with these foundations yielded approximately 300 research participants. The symptom management resource will be disseminated to these foundations to distribute through their online presence, newsletters, and social media accounts to provide information directly to the stakeholders. The symptom management resource will contain all activities, interventions, and recommendations within its content; as the foundations share the link to the resource, stakeholders will have access to these resources.

 Previous research suggested that respondents' online health information seeking behavior was the main predictor of future use (Liu, Whitener, & Hwang, 2023). Individuals with YOPD who are looking for health information online are more likely to utilize the information within future use; therefore, it may be inferred that individuals with YOPD who explore the symptom management resource via the foundation’s dissemination assistance, will utilize the information in the future. 

        The Developing and Evaluating a Symptom Management Resource for Young-onset Parkinson’s Disease project will be disseminated in the form of a public lecture entitled Broughton Lecture at the Russell Sage College Graduate Schools Research Symposium, during the spring 2024 semester. Audience members of this symposium will consist of researchers, practitioners, nursing students and staff, and interdisciplinary staff. Presentation of the projects results will be delivered to these stakeholders in hopes of continuing research into YOPD resources, the provision of the resource in clinical practice, and the understanding of common symptoms experienced by individuals with YOPD for the provision of quality care. 

Additionally, this research project will be disseminated at the Russell Sage College 2024 Occupational Therapy Research Symposium, in the form of a podium presentation. Attendants of this symposium will include future, and currently practicing occupational therapy practitioners. Occupational therapists are stakeholders within this project, as they may recommend the online symptom management resource to patients with YOPD to augment their care. Additionally, understanding the common functional impacts of individuals with YOPD will inform the selection of evaluations for intervention planning within clinical settings, which promotes quality care and client centered practice. 

The project shall also be disseminated to The Davis Phinney Foundation via their Parkinson’s Webinar Series, which hosts live meetings with individuals with Parkinson’s to promote wellness. The Davis Phinney Foundation participates in initiatives for “Living Well” with Parkinson’s; frequently they post health information within their content. Individuals with YOPD who are looking for health information online are more likely to utilize the information within future use; therefore, it may be inferred that individuals with YOPD who explore the symptom management resource via the foundation’s dissemination assistance, will utilize the information in the future.

The project will be disseminated at the NYSOTA 2024 Conference in the form of a poster, with the objective of informing clinicians of the online resource as an effective resource. Attendants of this conference include practicing occupational therapists, and occupational therapy professors. Occupational therapists are stakeholders within this project, as they may recommend the symptom management resource to patients with YOPD to augment their care. Additionally, understanding the common functional impacts of individuals with YOPD will inform the selection of evaluations for intervention planning within clinical settings, which promotes quality care and client centered practice. Occupational therapists, and professors may utilize the information learned from this project to implement it into practice or provide education to students on its benefits. 

         This project will also be submitted to the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease for dissemination. In collaboration with the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, the Journal of Parkinson's Disease (JPD) publishes original studies in fundamental science, translational research, and clinical medicine related to Parkinson's disease; the journal offers an Editorial Board, thorough peer review, and rapid online publishing (About the Journal, n.d.). The Journal of Parkinson’s Disease has a Journal Impact Factor of 5.520, a Journal Citation Indicator of 0.90, and a 5-year Impact Factor of 6.135 (About the Journal, n.d.). The multidisciplinary, international, and open access journal seeks to advance research in the pathogenesis, pharmacology, psychology, epidemiology, genetics, and molecular aspects of Parkinson's disease as well as its diagnosis and treatment (Aims and Scope, n.d.). The project will be disseminated to the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease to reach researchers, clinicians, and persons with Parkinson’s. A citation of the resource will be included within the research article; therefore, readers will be able to access the resource directly following learning of its benefits. The open access journal allows any individual who is a stakeholder to access the knowledge. 

Additionally, the results of this capstone project will be disseminated at the AOTA Annual Conference. The AOTA Annual Conference & Expo event allows clinicians to learn about the most recent developments in practice, industry news, and trends (2024 AOTA Annual Conference and Expo). The conference will be held in Orlando Florida in March of 2024. The AOTA conference attracts more than 8,000 occupational therapy professionals from around the globe, including researchers, practitioners, educators, administrators, and students (Inspire thousands of OT decisions makes, n.d.). 

About the Journal (n.d.). Journal of Parkinson’s Disease. Retrieved on March 29, 2023, from, https://www.journalofparkinsonsdisease.com/about-journal

Aims and Scope (n.d.). Journal of Parkinson’s Disease. Retrieved on March 29, 2023, from, https://www.journalofparkinsonsdisease.com/aims-and-scope

Article Publishing Charge for Open Access (n.d.). Journal of Parkinson’s Disease. Retrieved on March 29, 2023, from, https://www.journalofparkinsonsdisease.com/article-publishing-charge-open-access

Liu, Z., Whitener, G., Hwang, C.L., (2023). Association of online health information seeking behavior with levels of knowledge about palliative care among older adults, Geriatric Nursing, Vol. 49, ISSN 0197-4572, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gerinurse.2022.11.004.

Sadiku, P. O., Ogundokun, R. O., Ogundokun, O. E., & Adebayo, A. A. (2021). Interactive website on information dissemination. TELKOMNIKA, 19(1), 115. https://doi.org/10.12928/telkomnika.v19i1.15048

Statista. (2023). Internet usage worldwide - Statistics & facts. Retrieved on January 25, 2023, from,

https://www.statista.com/topics/1145/internet-usage-worldwide/

Submission Guidelines (n.d.). Journal of Parkinson’s Disease. Retrieved on March 29, 2023, from, https://www.journalofparkinsonsdisease.com/submission-guidelines