Kortdurende gespecialiseerde revalidatie van Parkinson-patiënten stelt verpleeghuisopname uit

Objective

To evaluate the efficacy of the Groningen Parkinson Short-Stay (GPSS) treatment, a short-term and intensive clinical intervention, on delaying the definitive nursing home placement of patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Method

We included 65 patients with Parkinson’s disease, of whom 39 were men and 26 were women with a mean age of 72 years (range: 43-88), who in 2009 were admitted to the GPSS ward of nursing home Maartenshof in Groningen, the Netherlands, for six weeks. The primary outcome measure was the number of patients who were able to live independently at home after discharge. The secondary outcome measures were changes in medication, change in cognitive performance and the duration of being able to live independently at home.

Results

After treatment on the GPSS ward, 49 patients could return home. Patients with a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score

Conclusion

Treatment at the GPSS ward postpones a definitive nursing home placement. An important factor in this is the optimisation of medication for motor, behavioural and cognitive functioning. This treatment should be used more widely for patients in the end stages of Parkinson’s disease.

Conflict of interest: the institute of A.W.F. Rutgers has received a consultancy fee from nursing home Maartenshof. The institute of E. Buskens has received research grants for projects not related to this article from the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) and the Center for Translational Molecular Medicine, attendance fees and compensation for travel costs from ZonMw, the Dutch Council for Quality of Healthcare (Regieraad) and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), and compensation for travel costs from EU JPI WG Health and Performance, and from EU EIP workshop innovation. T. van Laar has received a grant for research on Parkinson Network in relation to first line care (general practitioners) from ZonMw and payment for two educational presentations sponsored by Novartis. Financial support for this article: none declared.