Strategic Plan for healthcare for people affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in Catalonia (2025-2030)

Challenge

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disease of the central nervous system characterized by a progressive degeneration of motor neurons (responsible for controlling the movement of voluntary muscles) in the cerebral cortex, brainstem and spinal cord.These neurons progressively stop functioning and die, which causes weakness and muscle atrophy. ALS is the third most common neurodegenerative disease in incidence, after dementia and Parkinson’s disease.Along with its variants (primary lateral sclerosis, progressive muscular atrophy and progressive bulbar palsy), it is the most common motor neuron disease in adults.

Solution

The Socio-Healthcare Master Plan of the Department of Health of Catalonia and, specifically, the Neurodegenerative Diseases Program contacted Spora to develop the Strategic Plan for healthcare for people affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in Catalonia. Specifically, the following documents are created:

• Status: collect evidence of each of the phases, as well as the resources available in the health system and the care that people with ALS are currently receiving.
• Care Model: encompass the different evolutionary phases of ALS, diagnosis, comprehensive treatment and continuous care of the person throughout the entire disease until the advanced and end-of-life phase.
• Strategic lines, projects and actions: break down the strategic lines that need to be developed at all the evolutionary stages of ALS, the indicators necessary to monitor and evaluate the development and implementation of the different actions designed and, finally, the necessary structure that needs to be created to be able to carry out this Plan.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash