title: Partnership and cooperation is necessary to improve and expand neurology.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Brain disorders have a large impact on society, representing one third of the total burden of disease. Neurology is more than before divided into fields of highly specialized branches.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the need for co-operation in neuromedicine to achieve optimal results for patient treatment, diagnosis and care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Co-operation regarding patients with disorders in the brain and nervous system should involve medical specialists, general practitioners, other professionals, patients and carers. Optimal co-operation represents both an institutional and personal challenge. The principle of joint action between several subspecialists should also have consequences for educational systems and requirements. Formalised co-operation is well established in medical research, and principles for good practice in neuroscience have relevance also for clinical medicine. How to organise the optimal treatment is therefore not only a challenge for neurologists, but also for the total health system within hospitals and in society.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Open-handedness and a willingness to co-operate should be a hallmark for neurologists.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. nils.gilhus@helse-bergen.no
authors.forename: N E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Gilhus
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Stovner
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gjerstad
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hoff
mesh_terms: D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D009462:Neurology / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010820:Physicians