Factors that predict a change in quality of life among Parkinson's disease patients participating in a patient education program

• Published in: Revue neurologique 2021-11, Vol.177 (9), p.1151-1159
• Main Authors: Derollez, C., Carriere, N., Kyheng, M., Dujardin, K., Faillon, A., Haidon, D., Peres, S., Defebvre, L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cohort studies; Life Sciences; Parkinson Disease; Patient Education; Quality of Life
• ISSN: 0035-3787
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neurol.2021.01.020

Patient education is essential in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, it is not known which aspects of patient education are associated with an improvement in quality of life (QoL). To identify factors that predicted an improvement in QoL in PD patients that participate in an education program. EduPark is a community-hospital patient education program. PD Patients that had participated in the program between September 2013 and March 2017 were retrospectively included. QoL was prospectively evaluated (using the PDQ-8 questionnaire) before and after the patient's participation. We used mixed linear models (adjusted for the initial value of the PDQ-8) to determine socio-demographic and clinical variables that predicted the change in the PDQ-8 score. A total of 181 patients were included (mean±standard deviation age: 62.9±8.2 years; disease duration: 9.1±5.3 years). 76.7% of the 103 patients having undergone a cognitive evaluation did not display cognitive impairment. We did not identify any factors that predicted the program's impact on the patient's QoL. Participation in the program was associated with a significant decrease (improvement) in the PDQ-8 score (39.4±17.81 before and 35.6±15.9 afterwards, P