Priorities in healthcare provision in Parkinson´s disease from the perspective of Parkinson Nurses: A focus group study

Background Through their expertise and diverse skills, Parkinson Nurses are key care providers for people with Parkinson´s disease. They are seen as an important profession for person-centered and multidisciplinary care, keywords that are considered priorities in Parkinson's care delivery. Currently, however, little is known about the priorities that this profession itself defines for the care of Parkinson's patients and how they perceive their own role in the care process. Objective To explore the perspective of Parkinson Nurses on care priorities in people with Parkinson's disease. Design Qualitative study. Setting(s) The iCare-PD study served as the object of study by establishing an interdisciplinary, person-centered and nurse-led care model in several European countries and Canada. The nurses who participated in this model were part of the study. Participants Six Parkinson Nurses participated in the study. Methods We conducted a thematic focus group, adopting the paradigm of pragmatism to draft an interview guide. The focus group was based on the inspiration card method and followed recommendations for co-creation processes. Results Parkinson Nurses define care priorities for Parkinson´s in areas of education, multi-professionalism, and need-orientation. They see themselves as mediators and coordinators of care delivery processes. Conclusions In line with international recommendations, Parkinson Nurses prioritize key aspects of multidisciplinary and person-centered care. At the same time, however, the nurses also name care priorities that go beyond the international recommendations. It is therefore crucial to integrate the perspective of this important profession into recommendations for the delivery of healthcare for people with Parkinson's.Tweetable abstract How do specialized nurses define priorities for person-centered Parkinson´s care? Answers are sought in this qualitative study by @MarlenaMunster.