Guidelines for Parkinson's Disease

Introduction

Parkinson’s disease is a complex neurodegenerative disease which in view of the ageing population is becoming more prevalent. It is a multi-system disease and is associated with significant morbidity and can be challenging to manage appropriately. These guidelines are aimed predominantly at junior doctors to help guide the management, particularly with regards to medication, of patients with Parkinson’s disease when they are admitted acutely to hospital.

Purpose

The purpose of these guidelines is to enable junior doctors to manage patients with Parkinson’s disease when they are admitted acutely (either under the medical or surgical teams) and to guide them how to seek appropriate help. The aim of this being to provide a better service for these patients, ideally reduced their inpatient stay and reduce morbidity. Recent publications in leading medical journals have highlighted issues in the management of patients with Parkinson’s disease which results in increased morbidity, mortality and length of stay.

Policy Details