Parkinson Disease Care Coordinators Improve Quality of Life for Patients, Caregivers

Care coordinators and other multisectoral integrated care initiatives aid patients with Parkinson disease (PD) and caregivers in navigating everyday life, according to a scoping review published online in Patient Education and Counseling. 

“The foundations of [multisectoral] collaboration are based on the principles of assistance, support, sharing, and linking,” researchers explained, “benefiting from the strengths of working together towards the promotion of better living with Parkinson disease.”

The review included 9 studies that focused on multisectoral integrated care initiatives and how they helped patients and caregivers affected by PD in daily life.

According to the findings, multisectoral integrated care initiatives were characterized by peer support, individualized care planning, temporary initiatives, and the presence of a coordinator, and they resulted in an initial improvement in quality of life. Multisectoral integrated care initiatives benefited patients and caregivers by boosting confidence, trust, and support; positively affecting health outcomes; enhancing quality of life, coping skills, and psychosocial adjustment; and strengthening multiagent collaboration and individual assistance.

“In addition, the interventions improved communication among and between agents (health care professionals, patients, and caregivers),” researchers reported, “and health outcomes and general issues were discovered and dealt with sooner than usual.”

Based on the findings, the authors recommended the implementation of multisectoral initiatives for patients with PD.

“Multisectoral integrated care initiatives should be ongoing offers,” they advised, “and include a Parkinson care coordinator, who can enhance multisectoral communication and an individualized approach to information about resources responsive to evolving needs at different disease stages.”

Reference:
Vester LB, Haahr A, Nielsen TL, Bartolomeu S, Portillo MC. A Parkinson care-coordinator may make a difference: a scoping review on multi-sectoral integrated care initiatives for people living with Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers. Patient Education and Counseling. Published online August 9, 2023. doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2023.107931