Objective: To describe The Parkinson’s Disease Hospital Optimization Project (PD-HOP) that we established to optimize inpatient care and improve the hospital experience and outcomes for individuals with PD.

Background: Individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are at an increased risk of hospitalization and are at a higher risk of having complications, longer stays, and higher rates of morbidity and mortality compared to those without PD. Contributing factors (e.g., medication errors, prolonged immobility) could be addressed by a combination of provider education and modification of standard approaches toward care.

Method: After gathering feedback from patients with PD (and care-partners) hospitalized during the prior year, we turned our efforts toward addressing modifiable factors within the hospital system. Our first objective was to create a hospital-based multidisciplinary team with PD champions from different disciplines including medical (doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses) and allied health professionals (physical, occupational, and speech therapists). Our second objective was to educate inpatient providers about PD. Lastly, we made changes to the electronic medical record (EMR) ordering system to ensure timely administration of PD medications and to prevent administration of those contraindicated in PD.

Results: Individual providers from the main disciplines central to inpatient care of patients with PD including medical and allied health professionals were identified as PD champions. The group then completed a formal team training program where they learned about PD as it relates to their specific disciplines. In addition, educational sessions were given to hospital providers during their regularly scheduled weekly conferences. With the help of pharmacy, adjustments were made to the EMR system to minimize medication errors by ensuring accurate timing of PD medications and by creating a best practice advisory (BPA) warning to flag contraindicated medications and suggest alternatives.

Conclusion: Our three main objectives were achieved: a multidisciplinary PD champion network has been established and serves as an important resource for peers as well as for patients and families. The providers demonstrated improved knowledge regarding PD after attending the educational sessions. The modifications to the EMR to ensure appropriate administration of PD medications and to prevent contraindicated ones are now fully functional.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/parkinsons-disease-hospital-optimization-project/