Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
1921009 Parkinsonism & Related Disorders 2011 5 Pages PDF
Abstract
9% of patients had never seen a neurologist for their PD and 18.5% were sub-optimally managed; defined as (a) delay between initial diagnosis and first consultation by a specialist >1 year and (b) patients who had not had specialist PD review for >1 year. Older age, poor cognition and worse mobility were major factors in determining sub-optimal care whilst lower education level and tremor as initial symptom were more modest predictors. 20% of patients had been started on dopaminergic therapies including ergot-derived agonists by their GP prior to referral and less than a third had seen allied health professionals throughout their illness. Further work is required to test whether these findings are generalisable across the country and identify what can be done to ensure equal access to specialist care so that all PD patients have access to best practice.
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