Objective: To explore the knowledge of individuals with PD about COVID-19’s world pandemic, and to investigate their perception about its impacts and consequences.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and social isolation measures have generated changes in daily life around the world. These changes impacted directly individuals with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Method: Qualitative exploratory study, with 10 patients, by recorded telephonic interviews, which were transcribed, categorized and analyzed integrally, based in Hermeneutic theory approach, according to Hans-Georg Gadamer phenomenological dialectic. Six categories were elaborated from this analysis.

Results: Patients with PD demonstrated good level of knowledge about COVID-19 pandemic but suffered great impact in their routine as result of lockdown imposed by government as pandemic control measure. The most part of patients referred feelings of fear, anguish, insecurity, sadness and impotency, and part of them desired the end of pandemic with return to physiotherapy group activities as performed before in presential way. In addition, half of patients observed worseness in PD symptoms during lockdown period.

Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the life of patients with PD, both in worseness perceived in PD symptoms, as well as in the manifestation of feelings as anguish, fear and uncertainty, which could interfere directly in facing ways.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/perception-of-individuals-with-parkinsons-disease-about-isolation-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/