A survey on functional disabilities and perceived need for allied health and complementary therapies for Thai individuals with Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Background: Evidence regarding functional disability and the need for alternative health care services to improve abilities among Thai individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) is limited. Objectives: The study aims to survey PD patients on their functional difficulties and determined the correlation between personal- and disease-related factors on the difficulties they experience. Additionally, we asked about the need for, utilization of, and satisfaction with allied health care (AHC) and alternative complementary therapy (ACT) to minimize these difficulties in PD. Materials and methods: Researchers conducted one-on-one interviews in a movement disorder clinic in a Thai university hospital. The survey consisted of interviews for personal and disease data at first, followed by the self-rating of functional disabilities and the need for and experience of AHC and ACT. Results: Patients with severe disease had regressive disability in some activities. There were 4 factors related to the level of functional disability: stage of severity, duration of disease, cognitive performance, and depression score. Half of the participants needed treatment via AHC and ACT. Of the patients, 37%, 50% and 38.9% had experience with physical therapy, massage, and acupuncture, respectively. Almost all of them were satisfied with massage and physical therapy, while a small number of patients were satisfied with acupuncture. Conclusion: These results indicate that functional disability worsens as the disease progresses. A small number of patients have experience with AHC and ACT; however, they need alternative treatment. Further research regarding related factors for utilizing AHC and ACT in Thai PD patients’ needs to be conducted.