Allied health care in Parkinson's disease: Referral, consultation, and professional expertise

There is evidence for the efficacy of allied health care in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, barriers exist that hamper implementation of evidence into daily practice. We conducted a survey to investigate: (1) to what extent PD patients currently utilize allied health care for relevant proble...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Movement disorders 2009-01, Vol.24 (2), p.282-286
Main Authors: Nijkrake, Maarten J., Keus, Samyra H.J., Oostendorp, Rob A.B., Overeem, Sebastiaan, Mulleners, Wim, Bloem, Bastiaan R., Munneke, Marten
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accidental Falls - prevention & control
Aged
allied health occupations
Allied Health Personnel - education
Allied Health Personnel - statistics & numerical data
Biological and medical sciences
Clinical Competence
Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases
Evidence-Based Medicine
Female
Health Surveys
Homemaker Services - utilization
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Neurology
Occupational Therapy - utilization
Parkinson Disease - therapy
Parkinson's disease
physical therapy
Physical Therapy Modalities - utilization
physiotherapy
Referral and Consultation
Speech Therapy - statistics & numerical data
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:There is evidence for the efficacy of allied health care in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, barriers exist that hamper implementation of evidence into daily practice. We conducted a survey to investigate: (1) to what extent PD patients currently utilize allied health care for relevant problems in the core areas of allied health care and (2) the level of PD‐specific expertise among allied health professionals. Questionnaires were sent to 260 patients and 297 allied health professionals. Referral rates were 63% for physical therapy, 9% for occupational therapy, and 14% for speech therapy. PD patients with problems that can potentially be alleviated by input from allied health professionals are often not being referred. Furthermore, most patients were treated by allied health professionals who lacked PD‐specific expertise. Current referral to and delivery of allied health care in PD are suboptimal. Evidence‐based guidelines for allied health care in PD and active implementation of these guidelines are needed. © 2008 Movement Disorder Society
ISSN:0885-3185
1531-8257
DOI:10.1002/mds.22377