Sixty-six per cent of patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) visit hospital each year with 75 per cent not receiving medications on time. Delaying medications for greater than 15 minutes can worsen tremors, rigidity, confusion, agitation, and anxiety. The MNC LHD team developed a multidisciplinary team to improve safety in this vulnerable patient group to address medication management and enhancement of clinical knowledge.
The interventions focused on bridging departmental and professional barriers with exact medication routines, identifying and avoiding certain medications harmful to PD patients and identifying alternatives for when a person cannot take medication orally.
Results showed a reduction in average length of hospital stay for PD as a secondary diagnosis, from 9 to 6.2 days, more rapid access to correct medications and improved teamwork.
