Quantity, Quality and Staffs’ Knowledge in Long‐Term Nursing Care in People with Parkinson’s Disease – “Real‐Life” Results from the German Care4PD Study

Background/Objectives: About 20% of people with Parkinson’s Disease (PwP) in Germany need a professional long-term care (LTC). Previous data indicated a rather poor LTC situation and the need for profounder analyses. Thus, we aimed at dissecting the quantity and quality of LTC care for PwP and the set of knowledge on Parkinson’s Disease (PD) in German LTC nursing staff. Methods: Data from our nationwide, cross-sectoral Care4PD survey, that was distributed postally and online, was analyzed. 288 out of 295 returned, anonymous LTC nurse questionnaires were included with descriptive results presented here. Results: Regarding age and working experience, a representative group (n=288) of mainly (79%) registered LTC nurses participated in the study. 95% of them reported to have experience with PwP. On average, each nurse supported about 3 PwP per week with a mean care time of 48 minutes per day. 17% of participants complained about “never” having enough and 50% about “frequently changing” LTC personnel in their institution with even 10% “unsafe” care quality with the occurrence of avoidable complications. Rather insufficient knowledge on PD and the importance of PD-specialized trainings were highlighted whereby currently existing training options are often unperceived so far. Optimization suggestions consisted of more personnel and time capacities, educational aspects and interprofessional interexchange. Conclusions: Quantity and quality of care of PwP in German LTC facilities urgently need improvement. Besides providing more personnel and time capacities in general, encouraging more expertise in LTC nursing staff through trainings might optimize care situation.