Outpatient interface challenges for drug safety in Parkinson’s disease patients : a questionnaire based cross-sectional study

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic and multifaceted disease
with a variety of motor and non-motor symptoms. The safe symptomatic
drug therapy of often multimorbid patients places enormous demands on
the competence, communication and coordination of the treating physicians,
particularly in the outpatient sector.
Objectives: This study aimed to explore aspects of drug safety and interdisciplinary
communication in the outpatient sector of PD patients.
Methods: A semistructured questionnaire was designed addressing various
aspects of drug safety in the outpatient setting. The questionnaire was sent to a
total of 1,002 general practitioners (GP) and 1,005 neurologists (NEU).
Results: One hundred and forty-seven NEU and eighty-four GP answered
the questionnaire. Overall, NEU treated more PD patients, while GP cared for
more geriatric PD patients, especially outside of the outpatient clinic (home
visits, nursing homes). Regarding the execution of recommended laboratory
or technical check-ups, as well as the prescription of new medications,
neither a formal agreement nor structured communication existed. Merely the
identification of potential drug–drug interactions (DDI) was regularly carried out
by both professions.
Conclusion: The inadequate interdisciplinary communication hampers therapy
safety and consequently the safety of the vulnerable PD patient group. For this
reason, standardized and comprehensive communication mechanisms are
urgently needed. Solution approaches may include an individual protected digital
health record or integrated treatment networks comprising all professionals
participating in the management of PD patients.