From Efficacy to Everyday Practice: Long-term EMST and Cough Training in Neurodegenerative Disease. Lessons from Patients with Parkinson’s Disease.

Expiratory muscle strength training (EMST) and cough training are increasingly used to support airway protection in people with Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. While growing evidence demonstrates their efficacy, a critical question remains: How do we, as clinicians, help our patients engage with and sustain these interventions in everyday life? This webinar will examine patient experiences with EMST and cough training over both the short and long term. Drawing on qualitative interview data from people living with Parkinson’s disease, we will discuss barriers and facilitators that influence treatment engagement, highlighting what matters most to patients and how these insights can inform clinical practice. Building on these findings, the session will consider how lessons learned in Parkinson’s disease may be applied to individuals with more advanced disease and other neurodegenerative conditions, such atypical Parkinsonism. Participants will leave with practical, patient-centered strategies to support implementation and sustainability of airway protective interventions for patients with neurodegenerative disease.