Perspectives of people with Parkinson's disease and family carers about disease management in community settings: a cross‐country qualitative study

Abstract

Aim: to explore perceptions of people with Parkinson's disease and family carers about the use and impact of health and social care services, community and voluntary sector resources for the management of Parkinson's disease. 

Background: resources from outside the formal health care system and collaborations between different levels and sectors could address the unmet needs of people with Parkinson's disease and their family carers and improve the management of Parkinson's disease in the community setting. 

Design: a qualitative exploratory study was carried out in Denmark, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom and was reported using the COREQ. 

Methods: individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with people with Parkinson's disease and family carers between May and August 2020. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. A meta-ethnographic approach was used to analyse and synthesise cross-national findings. 

Results: forty-seven people with Parkinson's disease and 39 family carers participated in the four countries. Four themes and eight sub-themes emerged: (1) Personalised care for needs throughout the Parkinson's disease journey; (2) Accessibility of different types of support systems (including initiatives to support emotional well-being, physical rehabilitation, information on the healthcare services, voluntary associations and community groups); (3) Multiagency collaborations, a more comprehensive approach; (4) Acknowledgment of people with Parkinson's and family carers own role in Parkinson's disease management. 

Conclusions: an integrated and person-and-community-centred approach, which includes the participation of the health, social, voluntary and community sectors, is desired by people with Parkinson's disease and their family carers to improve the management of Parkinson's in the community setting. These findings could contribute to the creation of more sustainable care systems at the European level that would better respond to individual and changing needs in people with Parkinson's disease and their family carers, and in other long-term conditions. 

Patient or Public Contribution: the Patient and Public Involvement groups contributed to the design of the study, the interview guides and validation of findings. Relevance to Clinical Practice: This study will inform the management of Parkinson's disease at the community level and the use of resources not only directly linked to the health system. Taking into account all the actors that provide care and support to people with Parkinson’ disease and family carers facilitates the creation of strategies that better respond to individual needs. Nurses and other health and social care professionals in the community and specialist levels of care should collaborate to develop multisectoral strategies that promote personalised and integrated care throughout the Parkinson's journey.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Mari Carmen Portillo: orcid.org/0000-0003-1583-6612

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