Fox, S., Gannon, E., Cashel, A., Kernohan, W.G., Lynch, M., McGlade, C., O’Brien, T., O’Sullivan, S.S., Sweeney, C., & Timmons, S.

2015

Unknown

Movement Disorders Clinical Practice

Survey of Healthcare Workers Suggests Unmet Palliative Care Needs in Parkinson’s Disease

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Palliative care Parkinson's disease

Objective: To investigate the knowledge, attitudes and prior training of Irish healthcare workers in palliative care in end-stage Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods: A survey was distributed to healthcare workers, including neurologists, geriatricians, general practitioners, nurses, and allied health professionals, in acute and community settings in the Republic of Ireland. Results: Three-hundred and six surveys were returned (32% average response rate). Most healthcare workers (90%) believed that people with PD have palliative care needs; however 76% of healthcare workers also said that these needs are ‘never’ or only ‘sometimes’ met. These unmet needs are reflected in relatively few people with PD being referred to specialist palliative care; 48% of hospital consultants had referred no patients in the previous 6 months, and just 7% had referred more than 10. Just 8% of the healthcare workers surveyed reported having any training on the palliative care aspects of PD, and 97% expressed an interest in receiving further education. Respondents wanted all topics pertinent to palliative care in PD covered, and many felt that they also needed further information on PD in general. Conclusions: People with PD are seen to have palliative care needs however the findings suggest that these needs are not being met. There is a discrepancy between best practice recommendations for palliative care in PD and the beliefs and practices of healthcare workers. Further education in palliative care in PD is needed to ensure better quality of care for people with PD.

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