The Role of Parkinson Nurses for Personalizing Care in Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Quality of life (QoL) of persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD) is diminished by (non-)motor symptoms, that require personalized care. Parkinson Nurses (PN) may be pivotal promoting tailored care offerings. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates PD care models and aims at furnishing current concepts of PN to offer personalized care. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to identify the various roles and functions that PN may hold for personalized PD care. METHODS: We performed a systematic literature review, utilizing: PubMed, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO. The review qualitatively evaluated articles, which described personalized care models involving PNs and was guided by the personalized care management model. A meta-analysis compared patient-reported QoL (quantified using the 39-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire) between personalized care interventions involving PN versus standard care with. RESULTS: Twenty-seven publications were identified, including six randomized, controlled trials ascertaining with health related QoL (n = 1830 PwPs). The qualitative evaluation revealed that PN contribute to all aspects of personalized care. The meta-analysis showed no improved QoL in personalized care models compared to standard care, thought a great heterogeneity among study design and interventions was outlined (Standardized Mean Difference = –0.8935; 95% Confidence Interval, –2.1177 to 0.3307; z = –1.43, p = 0.1526). CONCLUSION: PN fulfil important functions in personalized PD care. For the future, a clear role definition will be necessary to adjust training for PN across healthcare systems and care settings but especially to realize their full potential for PD care.