title: Hospitalization in Parkinson disease: a survey of National Parkinson Foundation Centers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore current practices and opinions regarding hospital management of Parkinson disease (PD) patients in specialized PD Centers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-one out of 54 National Parkinson Foundation (NPF) Centers worldwide completed an online survey regarding hospitalization of PD patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Many Centers were concerned about the quality of PD-specific care provided to their patients when hospitalized. Primary concerns were adherence to the outpatient medication schedule and poor understanding by hospital staff of medications that worsen PD. Few Centers had a policy with their primary hospital that notified them when their patients were admitted. Rather, notification of hospitalization came often from the patient or a family member. Several Centers (29%) reported not finding out about a hospitalization until a routine clinic visit after discharge. Quick access to outpatient PD care following discharge was a problem in many Centers. Elective surgery, fall/fracture, infection, and mental status changes, were identified as common reasons for hospitalization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a perceived need for PD specialists to be involved during hospitalization of their patients. Improvement in communication between hospitals and PD Centers is necessary so that hospital clinicians can take advantage of PD specialists' expertise. Education of hospital staff and clinicians regarding management of PD, complications of PD, and medications to avoid in PD is critical. Most importantly, outpatient access to PD specialists needs to be improved, which may prevent unnecessary hospitalizations in these patients.
authors: Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5316, USA. klchou@med.umich.edu
authors: Kelvin L
authors: KL
authors: Chou
authors: Jorge
authors: J
authors: Zamudio
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Schmidt
authors: Catherine C
authors: CC
authors: Price
authors: Sotirios A
authors: SA
authors: Parashos
authors: Bastiaan R
authors: BR
authors: Bloem
authors: Kelly E
authors: KE
authors: Lyons
authors: Chadwick W
authors: CW
authors: Christine
authors: Rajesh
authors: R
authors: Pahwa
authors: Ivan
authors: I
authors: Bodis-Wollner
authors: Wolfgang H
authors: WH
authors: Oertel
authors: Oksana
authors: O
authors: Suchowersky
authors: Michael J
authors: MJ
authors: Aminoff
authors: Irene A
authors: IA
authors: Malaty
authors: Joseph H
authors: JH
authors: Friedman
authors: Michael S
authors: MS
authors: Okun
mesh_terms: D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D003625:Data Collection; D005582:Foundations; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D010300:Parkinson Disease