Evaluating the impact of two specialist Parkinson’s disease nurse positions in regional New South Wales, Australia: A qualitative descriptive study

Parkinson’s disease is a complex, neurodegenerative and disabling neurological condition with no known cure requiring specialist treatment and management. Presenting symptoms include slowness of movement, muscle rigidity, tremor, instability, depression and anxiety. An estimated 80,000 Australians are currently living with this disease. Contrary to common belief, the disease is not restricted to those over 65 years of age. Of those diagnosed, under 10% are under the age of 40 and a further 20% are under the age of 50. The prevalence of Parkinson’s disease is reportedly higher in rural and remote areas than in metropolitan areas. However, access to motor disorder neurology services and specialist Parkinson’s disease nursing services is extremely limited in rural and remote areas. This report builds on the Integrative Literature Review undertaken as Stage 1 and outlines the findings from the qualitative descriptive component of the second stage designed to investigate the impact of two specialist Parkinson’s disease nurses in regional NSW. A further report will describe the findings from the quantitative component of the second stage which responds to the question ‘Does service usage data demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of the Parkinson’s nurse specialist position on health care costs in the Mid North Coast Local Health District over a five year period?’