Interdisciplinary Education Improves Knowledge on Nonmotor Symptoms and Quality of Life in People With Parkinson's Disease

Abstract

Research Objectives Nonmotor features, including neuropsychiatric symptoms, are common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and can negatively affect quality of life and outcomes. Education regarding these topics is often limited, and nonmotor/neuropsychiatric issues remain under-recognized and under-treated in PD. Our study objectives were to increase awareness of nonmotor/neuropsychiatric issues in PD and examine changes in knowledge, quality of life, and caregiver stress after an educational intervention. Design We conducted 10 monthly education sessions on nonmotor/neuropsychiatric topics, offered in-person and online, and led by an interdisciplinary rehabilitation team. Setting Rehabilitation hospital. Participants People with PD and care partners. An average of 23 participants attended the in-person sessions (range 19-29); an average of 55 participants attended online (range 29-75). The majority of participants attended 9-10 of the 10 sessions (PD 60%, care partners 66.7%). Interventions Educational sessions, research survey questions. Main Outcome Measures Knowledge questions (Likert scale), PD Questionnaire-8 (PDQ-8), SF-12, Multidimensional Caregiver Strain Index. Results The majority of participants were ages 61-80 years, with equal proportions males and females for those with PD and greater female care partners (83.6%). Of those with PD, 3.5% had been diagnosed < 1 year, 33.7% within 1-3 years, 15.9% within 4-6 years, 27.4% within 7-10 years, and 19.6% > 10 years. Across all sessions, pre-session knowledge of people with PD and care partners was low with 57.7-96.1% reporting “average or below” knowledge about nonmotor/neuropsychiatric symptoms, treatments, role of interdisciplinary care, and effects on relationships. Post-session knowledge improved significantly with 71.4-100% PD and care partners reporting “very high or above average” knowledge on these topics. Pre-and post-series quality of life improved in PDQ-8 scores (p=0.025), but there was no significant change in caregiver scales. Conclusions Interdisciplinary team-delivered education sessions demonstrably improved knowledge gaps on nonmotor/neuropsychiatric symptoms and management in people with PD and care partners. These sessions may have a positive effect on quality of life in PD, though their effect on health-related quality of life and caregiver stress requires additional research and participants. Author(s) Disclosures Goldman - Parkinson's Foundation. Merkitch, Marchbanks - none. Nonmotor features, including neuropsychiatric symptoms, are common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and can negatively affect quality of life and outcomes. Education regarding these topics is often limited, and nonmotor/neuropsychiatric issues remain under-recognized and under-treated in PD. Our study objectives were to increase awareness of nonmotor/neuropsychiatric issues in PD and examine changes in knowledge, quality of life, and caregiver stress after an educational intervention. We conducted 10 monthly education sessions on nonmotor/neuropsychiatric topics, offered in-person and online, and led by an interdisciplinary rehabilitation team. Rehabilitation hospital. People with PD and care partners. An average of 23 participants attended the in-person sessions (range 19-29); an average of 55 participants attended online (range 29-75). The majority of participants attended 9-10 of the 10 sessions (PD 60%, care partners 66.7%). Educational sessions, research survey questions. Knowledge questions (Likert scale), PD Questionnaire-8 (PDQ-8), SF-12, Multidimensional Caregiver Strain Index. The majority of participants were ages 61-80 years, with equal proportions males and females for those with PD and greater female care partners (83.6%). Of those with PD, 3.5% had been diagnosed < 1 year, 33.7% within 1-3 years, 15.9% within 4-6 years, 27.4% within 7-10 years, and 19.6% > 10 years. Across all sessions, pre-session knowledge of people with PD and care partners was low with 57.7-96.1% reporting “average or below” knowledge about nonmotor/neuropsychiatric symptoms, treatments, role of interdisciplinary care, and effects on relationships. Post-session knowledge improved significantly with 71.4-100% PD and care partners reporting “very high or above average” knowledge on these topics. Pre-and post-series quality of life improved in PDQ-8 scores (p=0.025), but there was no significant change in caregiver scales. Interdisciplinary team-delivered education sessions demonstrably improved knowledge gaps on nonmotor/neuropsychiatric symptoms and management in people with PD and care partners. These sessions may have a positive effect on quality of life in PD, though their effect on health-related quality of life and caregiver stress requires additional research and participants.