Perceived unmet needs for health care among Parkinson's Society of New Zealand members with Parkinson's disease

We surveyed nationwide health needs for Parkinson's disease (PD) among New Zealand Parkinson's Society members with PD. BACKGROUND: Little literature assesses how people with PD perceive their health needs for this medical condition. METHOD: Cross-sectional survey of health needs through personal, structured telephone interviews with a random sample of 500 Parkinson's Society members with PD. RESULTS: Many participants wanted improved access to specialist care but their reported attendance rates suggest provider adherence to guideline recommendations. More general practitioners (GPs) than specialists were said to offer less information than wanted. Getting enough information in usual care was the best predictor (odds ratio 3.44, 95% CI: 1.93-6.13, p=0.000) of seeing a specialist for PD as often as wanted. CONCLUSIONS: People with PD have an important perspective in assessments of their health needs. GPs require training support in providing patient information about PD. Our study results may apply to Parkinson's Society members in similar health systems.