- Researchers say a significant number of people with Parkinson’s disease are not getting the treatment they should receive.
- They say that in particular people of color and those who live in rural areas do not have access to treatments.
- Experts say more movement disorder specialists in particular are needed.
More than 1 million people in the United States have Parkinson’s disease, but few may be receiving the comprehensive and recommended care they need, a new
For their findings, the researchers looked at a population of Medicare recipients who had Parkinson’s in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The sampling covered about 90% of the population in the United States who have the disease.
The researchers reported that half of those studied received care from general neurologists and 9% received care from movement disorder specialists who could help tailor treatments to each person. However, 40% received care from primary care providers or didn’t see a physician during the year.
The researchers concluded that their findings mean that 4 in 10 people studied never saw a neurologist for a fundamentally neurological disease.
Moreover, they said people of color and people living in rural areas were the least likely to have seen a neurologist or consulted with a movement disorder specialist, showing significant disparities in care access by demographic, according to the research published today in the journal npj Parkinson’s Disease.
Most people also did not receive critical supplemental therapies, including occupational therapy, speech-language therapy, and mental health services, the study noted. For instance, while more than half of Parkinson’s patients have depression, just 2% received treatment.
Similarly, only one in five of the people studied with the disease were seeing a physical therapist.
By studying this large population with data collected before the COVID-19 pandemic, the researchers say they hope to establish a more normal baseline…
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