Abstract
Introduction Improvements in quality of life, tremor, and other motor features have been recognized as superior in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery versus best medical therapy. We studied a group of patients with PD after undergoing DBS surgery in regard to expectations and satisfaction with DBS outcomes to determine gaps in patient education. Methods This study was a retrospective, single academic center chart review and outcome questionnaire sent to patients with PD who had undergone DBS surgery between 2007 and 2014. Results All patients surveyed indicated that benefit from DBS surgery met their overall expectations at least partially, but only 46.4% (SE: 9.6%) were in complete agreement. 3.6% (SE: 3.6%) of participants strongly disagreed that preoperative education prepared them adequately for the procedure and 17.9% (SE: 7.4%) only somewhat agreed. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that patients' expectations of DBS surgery in PD were at least partially met. However, there was a considerable percentage of patients who did not feel adequately prepared for the procedure. A structured, multidisciplinary team approach in educating PD patients throughout the different stages of DBS surgery may be helpful in optimizing patients' experience and satisfaction with surgery outcomes.
Highlights
Improvements in quality of life, tremor, and other motor features have been recognized as superior in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery versus best medical therapy
One subject was excluded from analysis as chart review revealed a diagnosis of essential tremor, rather than PD
Other reasons cited for seeking DBS surgery included walking problems (10.3%), reduced quality of life (10.3%), balance problems (3.4%), freezing of gait (3.4%), and impaired handwriting (3.4%)
Summary
Improvements in quality of life, tremor, and other motor features have been recognized as superior in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery versus best medical therapy. Prospective DBS candidates need to have an adequate understanding of expected benefits and possible adverse effects from DBS. This is best accomplished through a thorough educational process that spans the pre- to postoperative period. Few studies have been conducted to explore the patient expectations and satisfaction from DBS surgery in relation to the education received by the multidisciplinary treatment team (neurosurgeon, movement disorder specialist, nurses, and neuropsychologists)
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