On 25 June 2025, the well-attended 7th network meeting of the Parkinson's Network OstwestfalenLippe+ (PNOWL+) took place at the CENTRUM INDUSTRIAL IT (CIIT) on the Innovation Campus Lemgo. The network, which is now well established in OWL, meets 2-3 times a year for a professional exchange between doctors, physiotherapists, speech therapists and carers who are professionally dedicated to the complex clinical picture of Parkinson's disease and exchange ideas at the network meeting.
Presentation of "PD Assist"
The Institute Industrial IT (inIT) of the Technische Hochschule OWL (TH OWL) took part with the Discrete Systems working group, represented by Frauke Wiegräbe and Patrick Gaudl (both research associates), Christoph-Alexander Holst (research group leader) and Prof. Dr. Volker Lohweg (overall leader). They are all founding members of PNOWL+ and are actively involved in shaping the network. At the network meeting, they presented the Parkinson's app "PD Assist", which was released on 5 July 2025 at the 1st Lemgo Health Fair. The app is a joint development of inIT together with the University Hospital OWL, Campus Klinikum Lippe, University Clinic for Neurology and Neurogeriatrics and headed by Prof. Dr. Christoph Redecker.
Focused professional collaboration
At the beginning of the network meeting, project manager Prof. Dr. Christoph Redecker welcomed around 60 guests from the region and spoke on the topic of "Non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease: What's new?". This was followed by the fourth interprofessional case conference. The participants then met in three workshops on the following topics: Speech therapy treatment methods, use of the neuro-orthopaedic therapy device "Posturomed" and app development "PD-Assist". Finally, the results of the individual working groups were summarised in the plenary session.
Fruitful exchange
Frauke Wiegräbe emphasises: "The network meetings are always a benefit, as all participants are actively involved and report very specifically on everyday medical practice with Parkinson's patients. This exchange is very fruitful for us researchers. I'm already looking forward to the next network meeting."