Integration of palliative care in Parkinson's disease management

Background Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that negatively impacts the lives of affected people. The therapeutic benefits of treatment only decrease going forward from the time of diagnosis. Motor and non-motor symptoms alike create a heavy burden for patients and those involved in their care. Palliative care is utilized for patients with serious illnesses and when integrated into patients with Parkinson's disease, improves quality of life by addressing symptoms of discomfort, which ultimately reduces symptom burden to patients and alleviates caregiver stress. Objective This review aims to assess the efficacy of palliative care in the management of Parkinson's disease by exploring the benefits of palliative care integration throughout multiple relevant themes to demonstrate the optimal care delivery. Methods Comprehensive searches on the role of palliative care in Parkinson's disease patients within MEDLINE, PUBMED, CINAHL, CENTRAL, PsycINFO, Embase, and BioMed Central, considering publications between March 2010 - February 2020 were performed. A grey literature search was also performed for additional information. Results Analysis of various existing literature has demonstrated promise in timely palliative care integration for patients with Parkinson's disease, which has shown improvement in the quality of life of Parkinson's disease patients. It also strives to alleviate caregivers' stress and improve their quality of life, although insufficient research exists to support this. Palliative care in Parkinson's disease is a growing area of interest, evidently demonstrating the potential to expand among the current approaches. Conclusion Understanding the connections between the themes surrounding palliative care is crucial for successful integration in Parkinson's disease management. It is determined that integration of palliative care in patients with Parkinson's disease help to not only improve patients' experiences but also their caregiver's experiences throughout the disease trajectory. Further research should be conducted to address how palliative care will focus on alleviating caregiver burden and establish specific prognostication tools for Parkinson's disease patients.