Contact with a Nurse Practitioner: A Short-Term Evaluation Study in Parkinson’s Disease and Dystonia

Forty patients with Parkinson's disease and 24 patients with dystonia took part in a study aiming to assess the value of access to and contact with a nurse practitioner over a 6 month period. Patients in each group were randomly allocated to “intervention” or “control” groups, which were matche...

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Main Authors: M. Jahanshahi, R. G. Brown, C. Whitehouse, N. Quinn, C. D. Marsden
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 1994-01-01
Series:Behavioural Neurology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/BEN-1994-73-414
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author M. Jahanshahi
R. G. Brown
C. Whitehouse
N. Quinn
C. D. Marsden
author_facet M. Jahanshahi
R. G. Brown
C. Whitehouse
N. Quinn
C. D. Marsden
author_sort M. Jahanshahi
collection DOAJ
description Forty patients with Parkinson's disease and 24 patients with dystonia took part in a study aiming to assess the value of access to and contact with a nurse practitioner over a 6 month period. Patients in each group were randomly allocated to “intervention” or “control” groups, which were matched on important variables. All patients completed a set of questionnaires relating to psychosocial function at two time points separated by 6 months. In the intervening period, those allocated to the “intervention” group received two home visits and five telephone calls from the nurse practitioner. This contact was not provided to the “control” group. The nurse practitioner had a major impact on the provision of information and the facilitation of referral to other health-care agencies. The results of an independent assessment indicated that the patients in the “intervention” programme had found access to and contact with a nurse practitioner of great value. In contrast, the results of the questionnaire assessment did not reveal any statistically significant change in psychosocial functioning from the first to the second assessment for either the “intervention” or “control” groups. The lack of change in the questionnaire measures is discussed in terms of possible sampling bias and the duration of intervention and follow-up. Recommendations are made for future studies, and for the possible provision of clinical services.
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spelling doaj-art-b5294192771f43f2bb23607fedb65c172025-08-20T02:23:30ZengWileyBehavioural Neurology0953-41801875-85841994-01-0173-418919610.3233/BEN-1994-73-414Contact with a Nurse Practitioner: A Short-Term Evaluation Study in Parkinson’s Disease and DystoniaM. Jahanshahi0R. G. Brown1C. Whitehouse2N. Quinn3C. D. Marsden4Department of Clinical Neurology, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UKMedical Research Council, Human Movement and Balance Unit, Queen Square, London, UKDepartment of Clinical Neurology, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UKDepartment of Clinical Neurology, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UKDepartment of Clinical Neurology, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UKForty patients with Parkinson's disease and 24 patients with dystonia took part in a study aiming to assess the value of access to and contact with a nurse practitioner over a 6 month period. Patients in each group were randomly allocated to “intervention” or “control” groups, which were matched on important variables. All patients completed a set of questionnaires relating to psychosocial function at two time points separated by 6 months. In the intervening period, those allocated to the “intervention” group received two home visits and five telephone calls from the nurse practitioner. This contact was not provided to the “control” group. The nurse practitioner had a major impact on the provision of information and the facilitation of referral to other health-care agencies. The results of an independent assessment indicated that the patients in the “intervention” programme had found access to and contact with a nurse practitioner of great value. In contrast, the results of the questionnaire assessment did not reveal any statistically significant change in psychosocial functioning from the first to the second assessment for either the “intervention” or “control” groups. The lack of change in the questionnaire measures is discussed in terms of possible sampling bias and the duration of intervention and follow-up. Recommendations are made for future studies, and for the possible provision of clinical services.http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/BEN-1994-73-414
spellingShingle M. Jahanshahi
R. G. Brown
C. Whitehouse
N. Quinn
C. D. Marsden
Contact with a Nurse Practitioner: A Short-Term Evaluation Study in Parkinson’s Disease and Dystonia
Behavioural Neurology
title Contact with a Nurse Practitioner: A Short-Term Evaluation Study in Parkinson’s Disease and Dystonia
title_full Contact with a Nurse Practitioner: A Short-Term Evaluation Study in Parkinson’s Disease and Dystonia
title_fullStr Contact with a Nurse Practitioner: A Short-Term Evaluation Study in Parkinson’s Disease and Dystonia
title_full_unstemmed Contact with a Nurse Practitioner: A Short-Term Evaluation Study in Parkinson’s Disease and Dystonia
title_short Contact with a Nurse Practitioner: A Short-Term Evaluation Study in Parkinson’s Disease and Dystonia
title_sort contact with a nurse practitioner a short term evaluation study in parkinson s disease and dystonia
url http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/BEN-1994-73-414
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