Objective: To evaluate a newly-designed diagnosis patient pathway for Parkinson’s disease, in terms of quality measures and patient satisfaction.

Background: Receiving a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease can result in patients feeling vulnerable and alone. We have previously conducted a patient-led project to evaluate patient experience of diagnosis: a regional baseline evaluation identified areas of deficiency, based upon best practice as outlined in a Parkinson’s UK guide.¹ A new nurse-led patient pathway covering the first year post-diagnosis has been developed by the new patient pathway group (which includes patients) and implemented in Plymouth, UK, to address the key issues identified by the baseline audit. In this project we aimed to evaluate patient experience of the new patient pathway.

Methods: An 8 item questionnaire was designed by clinicians and Parkinson’s Disease Nurse Specialists (PDNS) to evaluate whether the new patient pathway was meeting objectives derived from the results of the baseline audit and the patient pathway group. The questionnaire was delivered to 40 patients diagnosed within the new pathway at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust from March 2016 to September 2016

Results: 19 responses were received from patients, giving a response rate of 38.7%. The main findings included: 100% of patients felt they were fully involved in their treatment decisions; 95% felt that treatment was tailored to their needs; 89% of patients had access to information pre-appointment and knew to bring a partner; 100% of patients were given written information during the appointment; 100% of patients felt supported in their diagnosis; 100% said they were given a point of contact and 88% of patients eligible for clinical research were offered the opportunity.

Conclusions: In comparison to the evaluation prior to the new pathway, there is a dramatic increase in patient satisfaction. However improvement still needs to be made to the information given to patients prior to their first PDNS appointment and the opportunity for research.  Further improvements are planned within the pathway to address these areas.

References:

1. UK Parkinson’s Excellence Network. Improving the diagnosis experience for people with Parkinson’s. 2015. Available at: http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/sites/default/files/resources/improving_patient_diagnosis_experience_1.pdf. [Cited 02 January 2017].

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/evaluating-the-experience-of-diagnosis-in-parkinsons-disease/